Nursing leaders call on profession to amplify its impact ahead of U.S. semiquincentennial

As the United States prepares to mark its 250th anniversary, Penn Nursing leaders are issuing a joint call to action for the nursing profession.

In separate commentaries published in the July 2026 issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), Antonia M.

Villarruel, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing, and J.

Margo Brooks Carthon, PhD, RN, FAAN, director of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, urge nurses to reclaim their foundational role in America's history and use that legacy to advocate for social justice and professional equity today. ...