Nursing school graduate Audric Donald works tirelessly to increase representation in health care

When people think of the nursing profession, many think of females. Audric Donald, a BSN student from South Carolina, wants to change that.

An advocate for greater representation of gender, racial and ethnic minorities in the profession, Donald exemplifies the spirit of a visionary nurse leader.

He is a founding member of the Georgia chapter of the American Association of Men in Nursing, where he helps encourage more African American men to enter the profession. He also is part of the Atlanta Black Nurses Association, where he advocates for the same.

Since beginning nursing school at Emory in 2021, Donald has been actively involved in the greater Atlanta community.

He has volunteered his time with Faith Village, a lab utilizing research and education to improve access to resources and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in African American and faith communities. As part of his work with Faith Village, he volunteered at multiple outreach events in the greater Atlanta community, most recently helping conduct memory screenings at African American churches. He works extremely closely with Fayron Epps, associate professor in the School of Nursing and principal investigator for Faith Village, to ensure that faith-based communities have access to critical and life-saving resources.

“Audric embodies what it means to serve others,” Epps says. “He understands how critical representation is to the health care profession. This understanding enables him to lead others to join the field with the goal of eliminating barriers to life-saving care.”

Donald’s dedication to the nursing school and his peers is unmatched. He served as the 2023 class representative and was influential in advocating for new policy changes for his classmates. He also was an integral part of easing the financial burden for all pre-licensure nursing students by getting funding for gas money so that his peers could get to their required clinical rotations at locations throughout metro Atlanta. He mentors first-year students through the Black Student Alliance and is a member of the Emory Student Nurses Association and the School of  Nursing Student Government.

Donald has received many awards for his contributions to the university, the nursing school and his community. He is a member of the 2023 100 Senior Honorary Class, and he also received the university’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award for unparalleled response to breaking down injustice through activism. He is graduating with High Honors (Magna Cum Laude) for his nursing honors thesis: “Meaningful Faith-based Home Activities for African American Families Affected by Dementia.”

Postgraduation, Donald plans to continue to serve his community by working as a public health/community nurse while attending graduate school. His work ethic, generosity of spirit, strength in leadership and proven excellence prime him to be a change agent in health care.