Whitney Thornton

Whitney Thornton is the proud recipient of the Mathy Mezey Scholarship. Dr. Mathy Mezey is a noted international geriatric expert. Whitney previously was the first recipient of the 2022-2023 NEF Terry Fulmer Scholarship.

Ms. Thornton received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from Georgia Southern University. While acquiring her degree, she received the Eta Sigma Gamma National Founders Award for her work and dedication in the field of public health. She then interned at the Georgia Department of Public Health Southwest district in Epidemiology and Surveillance, which led to a position in Emergency Preparedness. In 2019, Whitney earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Emory University. While at Emory University, she received the National Health Professional’s Scholarship, and she was selected as a Veterans Affairs Academic Scholar. She recently graduated from Duke University with honors with a Masters of Science degree in Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with a concertation in Veterans’ Healthcare. Currently, she attends Duke University and is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice. She is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International honor society.

Helping her mother take care of her paternal and maternal grandfathers when they were diagnosed with cancer created a passion in Whitney for nursing. Her interest for working for veterans stems from her maternal grandfather, great grandfather, and uncle who all served in the armed forces. Today, Whitney is living out her passion as a primary care nurse practitioner serving in a bucolic setting in South Carolina. Prior to this, she was an inpatient gastroenterology nurse practitioner. Previously she worked for the federal government system in different nursing positions. Whitney was a PACT RN Care Manger in Primary Care at the Tallahassee VA Clinic in Tallahassee, Florida. Prior to this, she worked as a spinal cord and traumatic brain injury rehab nurse at the Charlie Norwood VA in Augusta, Georgia. Her experience there inspired her to be an advocate for veterans with spinal cord injuries.

As a committed believer in connecting to others in the profession on a national and global level, Whitney is active participating internationally is nurses conferences. She presented a poster presentation at the International Council of Nurses Congress 2023 in Montreal and the Sigma Theta Tau International Conference 2023 in Abu Dhabi.  Both presentations focused on advocating for the spinal cord injured population. She continued to advocate for this population by giving a pitch presentation at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

A doctorate degree in nursing was Whitney's preferred choice to enable her to one day work in academia and give back to the nursing profession. She decided to acquire her doctorate at Duke University for many reasons. Duke’s program aligned with her personal, service, and career goals. Additionally, Duke University possessed the only certification in the specialty of Veteran’s Healthcare. That solidified her decision to attend Duke University. Receiving the Mathy Mezey Scholarship will allay any financial burdens and will allow her to continue to focus on her education without having to be concern about the financial cost.