The 2026 Beatrice Renfield Lecture in Research Nursing
Systems Thinking:
Population Health & Health Workforce
Marilyn A. DeLuca, PhD, MA, MPhil, RN
| Date: | Tuesday, February 24, 2026 | |
| Time: | 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. | |
| Reception: | 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. | |
| Location: | Carson Family Auditorium The Rockefeller University York Avenue at 66th Street |
The Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing at The Rockefeller University is pleased to present the 2026 Beatrice Renfield Lecture in Research Nursing featuring Marilyn A. DeLuca, PhD, MA, MPhil, RN.
Dr. DeLuca, a leader in global health and the health workforce, will discuss challenges to population health across national settings, precipitated by socio-economic factors and policies. Her enduring interests in quality healthcare and the health workforce commenced in her early career while in leadership roles in critical care and Executive Medical Center management. As the principal of the consultant firm Global Health – Systems – Philanthropy, she works with governmental organizations, multilaterals, nonprofits, and the private sector, promoting strategic partnerships and advising on results-driven funding.
She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, THENet-Training for Health Equity Network; on the Leadership Team of the Bellagio Global Health Education Initiative; and as a mentor to students in health professions. She is an advisor to the Harriet Rothkopf Heilbrunn School of Nursing, LIU; the Katz School of Health and Science, Yeshiva University; the Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing; The Mollylou Foundation; and, formerly, the College of Nursing, NYU, and the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College. She was a member of the Boards of Directors of IntraHealth International and Shine Global, Inc., and founding Executive Director of the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence [Jonas Nursing].
Dr. DeLuca earned her PhD in comparative health systems and the politics of reform at New York University's Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Her dissertation on reform in public systems compared the UK's National Health Service and the U.S. Veterans Administration, the two largest public health systems. Her publications include two books, most notably Transforming the Global Health Workforce, book chapters, journal articles, and editorials. She was on the Editorial Board of the journal Global Advances in Health and Medicine, a guest editor of World Health and Population's issue on the global workforce, featured in the book The American Nurse, and an honored contributor to WHO's Report Global Strategy for Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030, which motivates UN Member States to achieve SDG targets. She is Co-Investigator for the USAID grant that provided mental health services to Venezuelan women refugees in Colombia. Recognized for her effective leadership, Dr. DeLuca is a recipient of numerous awards, including induction into the Hunter College Hall of Fame, CUNY.
On February 24, Dr. DeLuca will focus on socio-economic conditions that influence health policy and their impact on population health, workforce, education, and research. Her passion for improving equitable access to quality healthcare and strengthening health systems remains the foundation of her work.
This lecture series is made possible by the generosity of The Beatrice Renfield Foundation. It is co-hosted by The Rockefeller University's Heilbrunn Family Center for Research Nursing and the Women & Science Initiative.
