Dr. Phyllis P. Moore, Professor Emerita and beloved Simmons faculty member and Chairperson of the Department of Nursing, passed away on Thursday November 23, 2023. Phyllis came to Simmons as a faculty member in 1970 and served as Chairperson from 1976-1990. Upon her retirement from Simmons in 1990, she entered private practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. She earned a bachelor’s in nursing degree from the University of Michigan and master’s and doctoral degrees from Boston University.
Dr. Moore was an esteemed and highly respected nurse leader in Massachusetts and New England, and was the President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the Massachusetts Nurses Foundation. She received many honors for her service to the profession of nursing including from the New England Regional Black Nurses Association and from the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, which honored her as a Living Legend in 2011. Moore was widely published and presented her work at the local, regional, and national levels.
Dr. Moore advised many students from diverse backgrounds and, through her example and knowledge, furthered the understanding of diversity in both faculty and students. The Phyllis S. Moore Award, created in her honor, is given to a senior Nursing student in recognition of their enhanced understanding of issues related to race, gender, culture, and ethnicity, and who has demonstrated tolerance, understanding, and sensitivity to issues of diversity. The Phyllis S. Moore Award was most recently given by the School of Nursing to Elizabeth Biondo '23 (BSN) in May 2023.