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Eight Healthcare Leaders Inducted into 2023 Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame

On November 9, The University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing hosted the 2023 Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and the Alabama Nurses Foundation, at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa. Eight distinguished individuals were selected for induction.

Established by the Capstone College of Nursing’s Board of Visitors in March 2001, the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame was created to honor nurses and others who, through their work and accomplishments, have brought honor and fame to the profession of nursing and the state of Alabama.

The 2023 inductees include Dr. Judy Bittinger, Ms. Carolyn Chalkley, Dr. Jennifer Coleman, Dr. Joy P. Deupree, Ms. Pepper Hoover, Dr. Joyce Loyd-Davis, Ms. Dorothy Scarbrough, and Ms. Ernestine Tucker. Individually and collectively, these inductees have greatly influenced the nursing profession and healthcare industry in the state of Alabama and across the nation.

Judy Bittinger, DSN, PhD, RN

Carolyn B. Chalkley, MSN, RN, Retired

Jennifer J. Coleman, PhD, RN, CNE, COI, Professor, Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing, Samford University

Joy P. Deupree, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN, Professor, The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing

Deborah “Pepper” Hoover, MSN, FNP, RN, Program Director, Department of Nursing Education, Wallace State Community College Hanceville 

Joyce Loyd-Davis DNP, FNP-BC, MSN, MSM, Sr. Director of Health Services, Alabama State University

Dorothy Ray Scarbrough, BSN, MSN, RNC

Ernestine Tucker, RN, Certified Nurse Practitioner

Additionally, Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed November 9, 2023, as Alabama Frontline Nurses Day. The Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame Committee requested the proclamation to raise awareness of the essential role frontline nurses play in our state’s healthcare system.

The proclamation recognizes nursing as the nation’s largest healthcare profession, with over 4 million registered nurses nationwide, and that nurses are “an indispensable component of the safety and quality of patients’ care.” See the official proclamation here.

Nov. 9 has been proclaimed Alabama Frontline Nurses Day in conjunction with the 2023 Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame, an event that will bring together individuals and organizations to celebrate the accomplishments, excellence and impact of outstanding members of the nursing profession.


The Board of Visitors of the Capstone College of Nursing established the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame on March 16, 2001. The Hall of Fame was created to pay tribute to nurses and others who through their work and accomplishments have brought honor and fame to the profession of nursing and the State of Alabama.

The Hall of Fame is governed by the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame Board comprised of members of our Board of Visitors. This body establishes the criteria for selecting inductees and the methods for determining eligibility for and election to the Hall of Fame. Nominations for induction into the Hall of Fame are submitted to a Selection Committee of the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame Board.

The first class of inductees in the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame was honored on October 25, 2001. Induction ceremonies continue to be held biannually.

We are extremely proud of each class of inductees in the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame. Individually and collectively they have greatly influenced the profession of nursing and health care in the State of Alabama and the nation. To honor them is to honor the most noble of professions, Nursing.