Rae Walker Writes Thank-You Letter and Welcomes Carrie‑Ellen Briere as New PhD in Nursing Program Director

Content

Rae Walker (left), PhD in Nursing program director since 2019, will soon pass the torch to Carrie-Ellen Briere (right).

After seven accomplished years, Associate Professor Rae Walker, PhD, RN, FAAN, is stepping down from serving as the director of the PhD in Nursing program at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing (EMCON). In an open letter to the EMCON community, they recount the challenges and highlights of their tenure as director, as well as pass the torch to incoming program director Associate Professor Carrie-Ellen Briere, PhD, RN.

A Letter to the EMCON Community from Rae Walker

"Since September of 2019, it has been my honor and a privilege to serve as director of the PhD Program in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing. I stepped into this role as an assistant professor appointed in the wake of a significant changeover in the college’s administrative team. It was a tumultuous time for the college. Cynthia Jacelon, the previous PhD program director, had just become our interim dean, and she left big shoes to fill! Just a few months later, we found ourselves navigating the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapid shift to remote-only operations for nearly two years. 

Image

Rae Walker with first-year PhD students at the 2026 Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) Annual Conference.

Throughout those challenges and all that have followed since, members of the PhD Program—including students, faculty, staff, and alumni—rallied to support each other and engage in mutual aid. I am so proud of this community of scholars and global leaders, and all that we have co-created and accomplished together over the past seven years!

Here are some of the highlights of what we’ve co-created: 

• A transformative new PhD curriculum committed to achieving health equity 
• Introduction of the PhD portfolio and strengths-based PhD candidacy process 
• A new, collaborative approach to holistic admissions 
• Implementation of annual awards ceremonies and student recognitions 
• Creation of an annual student-led nursing PhD research symposium  
• Support for internationally-trained nurses to prepare for U.S. RN licensure 
• Leadership for nursing and health care innovation, including during COVID-19 
• A new website and communications strategy 
• A robust cohort of accomplished recent alumni—many of whom now occupy leadership positions in healthcare, academic, industry and government settings around the globe!

I often tell people that I have the best job, because I get to collaborate with such a talented and committed group of students, staff, and faculty—all of whom are engaged in the work of identifying and addressing meaningful problems that impact communities we belong to and accompany in care. I believe we have some of the very best emerging scholars whose work has repeatedly impacted nursing, health care and public policy nationally and globally. The role of PhD program director has been a joy to fill, even when times were tough. And now that I am transitioning out of the role, I find myself excited for the future and what members of this community will do next!  

Image

Carrie-Ellen Briere runs the Briere Human Milk Research Laboratory at UMass Amherst.

Starting in September, Carrie-Ellen Briere will begin her term as the new PhD program director. Dr. Briere is a highly-accomplished nurse researcher and educator who has successfully mentored numerous students and clinical researchers in the past. She has also served in almost every other PhD-associated role in the college, including as a previous chair of the PhD Academic Matters Committee, Admissions Committee, and PhD Portfolio/Comprehensive Exam Committee. Dr. Briere was highly engaged throughout the process of developing our new curriculum and has a firm grasp of its elements. I have no doubt that her leadership will be a tremendous asset to the program. And with the support of fabulous program assistant Dorian Pariseau and our many talented students, staff, faculty, and alumni supporters—I know the PhD program is in excellent hands!  

As I transition out of this role, I want to thank everyone who has supported and mentored me over the years—including faculty and clinical colleagues, students, staff, community leaders, and alumni. There are too many of you to name individually, but I want you to know how much I have benefited from your wisdom and mutual aid. I especially want to thank Professor Emeritus Cynthia Jacelon for her mentorship as the immediate past PhD program director, and Dean Allison Vorderstrasse for her ongoing support for the PhD in Nursing program at a time when research-focused training for nurses continues to be challenged (and challenging). Thank you to my fellow UMass Nursing PhD program directors across our five campuses with whom I’ve met monthly since taking on this role. Thank you also to the generous alumni donors who have made scholarship funding for so many of our PhD students possible, and to the Beta Zeta Chapter At-Large of Sigma Theta Tau, whose annual dissertation research grants have been a critical support for our scholars. These funds have been absolutely essential and as someone who frequently has anxiety dreams related to how to financially support our student community. I am eternally grateful for their existence! 

Directing the PhD program at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Now more than ever, nursing needs visionary leaders and researchers whose work is grounded in nursing values and the priorities of the communities we serve. I believe this is what UMass Amherst consistently strives for and delivers through our PhD in Nursing program. I am so proud to be a part of it."

—Rachel (Rae) Walker, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor & PhD Program Director
Elaine Marieb College of Nursing