Deonna Taylor, PhD, MSN, ACNP
Associate Nursing Officer,
Transplant Patient Care Center and Vanderbilt Lung Institute
I began my nursing career at VUMC in 2003 as a bedside nurse on the transplant unit. As a nurse at Vanderbilt, I have had the opportunity to work in several roles and areas including case management, the general surgery unit, and the surgery step-down unit. I joined the Vanderbilt Transplant Center as a transplant nurse practitioner in 2018 after completing my MSN at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing (VUSN) and subsequently completed my Ph.D. in health services research. I achieved both degrees with the assistance of VUMC’s Nursing Tuition Benefit.
I succeeded one of my mentors, Jerita Payne, as the Transplant Administrative Director. I am forever grateful for the variety of career opportunities afforded to me as a Vanderbilt nurse.
Vanderbilt's culture of nursing promotes all nurses as leaders and decision-makers in the delivery of patient care and the health care system as a whole. Vanderbilt nurses are true patient advocates and daily go above and beyond to ensure excellence in patient care. We have nurses who are among the best and brightest, who truly elevate the nursing profession.