Madeline McQuay

Madeline McQuay, an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) student at Duke University, is honored to be the recipient of the Nurses Educational Fund (NEF) Scholarship for 2026-2027. Madeline earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Brigham Young University and has worked as a Progressive Care Unit nurse for eight years.

While working through the COVID-19 pandemic, Madeline’s progressive care unit was converted into the hospital’s designated COVID unit. That experience highlighted for her how disease processes expose and intensify socioeconomic health disparities. It deepened her commitment and passion for providing equitable, evidence-based care to at-risk populations and strengthened her interest in the relationship between acute care and population health. Her work in the hospital has been complemented by community involvement with the International Rescue Committee, Habitat for Humanity, and pro bono clinic work.

Madeline chose Duke University’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program to expand her ability to provide higher levels of care and contribute to projects that improve outcomes for at-risk populations. Duke’s nationally recognized acute care nursing program made it a strong fit for her graduate studies. During her studies, Madeline was awarded a fellowship through the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health to the Tuberculosis Program in the Communicable Disease Branch of the North Carolina Division of Public Health. She has led projects focused on improving molecular detection of drug resistance (MDDR) utilization for tuberculosis (TB) patients and studying the association between nontuberculous mycobacteria and concurrent TB disease in North Carolina. She also served on the North Carolina Division of Health and Human Services Department of Public Health Measles Outbreak Team in early 2026.

Madeline looks forward to using her graduate degree to expand opportunities to provide advanced care to medically complex adults while also contributing to outreach, collaboration, and research that improve outcomes for underserved, displaced, and impoverished populations. As a single mother of two children, this pursuit carries deep personal meaning. Earning her postgraduate degree has been a desire since before becoming a mother, and she hopes others see in her a self-fulfilled parent who is using her education to uplift the community in meaningful ways. Receiving the NEF Scholarship is an honor and empowers Madeline to continue her graduate studies and serve her future patients and community as a compassionate, evidence-based provider committed to equitable care.