Inaugural Post: Teachers of Excellence
Guardian of the Discipline

It is an honor to feature my former professor and colleague Dr. Lucinda Canty PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM, FADLN as the inaugrural entry in the new Nursology.net “Teacher of Excellence” gallery, and also for inclusion in the “Guardian of the Discipline” gallery. In my undergraduate nursing program, I was quite nervous going into my women’s health/ labor and delivery class, as I had little knowledge or interest in the subject and was afraid that I wouldn’t do well enough to progress through the program. Lucinda truly made the material come alive, using innovative teaching methods, real-life stories from her experiences as a midwife, and empowered us to be advocates for our patients on all levels, from the bedside to communities, governments, and boardrooms. When I reached out to her after falling just short of a passing grade on our first exam, she met with me and delivered one of the most inspiring pep talks I have ever received in my formal education; she truly made me believe that I would be successful and helped me identify topics in the class that I could relate back to my interests. Lucinda was the best professor I’ve ever had the pleasure to learn with, and it is a great honor to present her as the inaugural Teacher of Excellence on Nursology.net.

Lucinda is currently the director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. Lucinda is a midwife, scientist, author, educator, mentor, advocate, poet, and artist. Lucinda’s impressive career in nursing has spanned three decades, starting with earning her BSN from Columbia University in 1991, followed by a MSN in Nurse Midwifery from Yale University in 1994, and most recently a PhD in Nursing from University of Connecticut in 2020. Her Doctoral dissertation “It’s Not Always Rainbows and Unicorns: The Lived Experience of Severe Maternal Morbidity among Black Women” is the crowning jewel of her numerous publications, all of which center around the experiences of motherhood, racism, decolonizing nursing education, and intersectionality. She is a member of the National Black Nurses Association and serves a co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Taskforce.
Dr. Canty was featured in the 2024 documentary “Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All”, a feature film by Shift Films that has been shown at hundreds of screenings across the United States and globally. Her story of overcoming racism in academic and clinical settings and transforming her experiences into advocacy for others is awe-inspiring.

Aside from her impressive research and theory-focused publications, she utilizes poetry and artwork to express her lived experiences as a Black woman and utilizes art programming to foster connection within the community. Her paintings and poetry outline her own lived experience as a Black woman and emphasize her power and resilience that inspires other women and community members.

Dr Canty is the founder and owner of Lucinda’s House, an independent health collective focused on supporting women of color in their reproductive health and pregnancy journeys. Lucinda’s House has hosted numerous tabling events and community baby showers, bringing supplies and education to growing families in need. Centered around education and community building, this grassroots program has impacted hundreds of women and families across Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Lucinda has received numerous prestigious accolades and awards and was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2024. She is the 2023 Yale School of Nursing Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient and the recipient of the 2023 Florence S. Wald Award from the Connecticut Nurses’ Association. She is also the 2024 Columbia University School of Nursing 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award for Nursing Practice.

Dr. Canty’s work, centered around Black feminist theory, has inspired and empowered many nurses and nursing students to reach their fullest potential in their work and education. Her powerful legacy continues to positively impact our profession and marginalized communities. Lucinda is a sought-after speaker, having presented dozens of keynote speeches, addressed multiple professional groups, and worked with diverse interprofessional initiatives. Lucinda is also a contributor to Nursology and has over 20 peer-reviewed publications centered around maternal health equity and decolonizing nursing education. Most recently she is co-author of the “hot off the press” 12th Edition of “Knowledge Development in Nursing: Theory and Process” – co-authored by Peggy Chinn, Lucinda Canty and Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu

For more information on Lucinda’s work or to make a donation, visit www.lucindashouse.org

References

Canty, L. (2020). It’s Not Always Rainbows and Unicorns: The Lived Experience of Severe Maternal Morbidity among Black Women.

Canty, L. (2022). The lived experience of severe maternal morbidity among Black women. Nursing inquiry, 29(1), e12466. https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12466

About author Danielle “Dani” Brochu ,DNP, RN, CNEcl

Dani was a 2024-2025 Nursology.net intern, and has now joined the site Advisory team! She is a patient care administrative nursing supervisor at Hartford Hospital. She earned her DNP and MSN in nursing education at Sacred Heart University and a BSN from University of Saint Joseph. Dani is also pursuing an MBA at Fitchburg State University. She is a member of the Mu Delta Chapter of Sigma, the American Nurses Association, DNPs of Color, SONSIEL, and the Organization of Nurse Leaders. She is a member of the Board of Directors for The Health Collective, a Hartford-based nonprofit focused on providing medical and dental care for the LGBTQ+ and HIV+ community. Her research focuses on geriatric safety and health disparities in LGBTQ+ patient populations.