About the Speaker

Daihnia Dunkley, also known as “Dr. D.,” is originally from Jamaica, West Indies, and has resided in New York since the early 90’s. In the span of her 15-year nursing career, Dr. Dunkley has worked extensively in the arena of maternal-child health and is an experienced nurse leader with a demonstrated history of working in both hospital and community healthcare, as well as academia. She has now transitioned to a full-time academic role, as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at Farmingdale State College, in Long Island, NY. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Hampton University, and earned both her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Phoenix.

Early in her career, Dr. Dunkley became aware of the disparities within the healthcare system and their impact on practitioners as well as patients, especially those of color. As she transitioned from bedside nursing to administrative roles, she began to understand the other layers and contributing factors to these issues, which include a lack of diverse representation in the healthcare workforce, implicit bias, systemic racism, and patient mistrust and avoidance of the healthcare system, to name a few.

While conducting her doctoral research, which focused on the experience of being black and female in executive nursing leadership, the available literature and the stories of her study participants illustrated the lack of adequate support resources for black and minority nurses. Dr. Dunkley was inspired to create the League of Extraordinary Black Nurses (LEBN), a nonprofit nursing organization, which mission is to cultivate, nurture, and inspire future black nurses, to improve the representation of black nurses in positions of leadership, and to advocate for equitable and quality healthcare for people of color.

Having spent the formative years of her career doing the work to understand these complex problems, Dr. Dunkley has shifted her focus to creating solutions. Through her newly formed consulting company, Daihnia’s Joy, LLC, Dr. D. will aim to drive positive change in healthcare, empower expectant mothers, and inspire nursing professionals to achieve their goals. Dr. Dunkley has spoken and presented internationally in several prestigious academic and professional arenas. She is a dedicated and passionate nurse and scholar whose goal is to serve as a change agent by advocating for systematic improvement in matters of diversity and inclusion within the nursing profession, and for the eradication of racial health disparities, particularly related to black maternal health outcomes.

How to participate

The class will become available about 30 minutes prior to the start of the presentation. During this time, you should ensure that you have the Zoom client installed and working.

To install Zoom, click on the link for your operating system:
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How to get your Participation Certificate

After the presentation, return to this course to take the post-lecture quiz. The quiz will consist of information that was presented during the session and should not be difficult if you watched the presentation. Once you finish and pass the quiz, mark the course as complete. Your certificate will be available for download as a PDF file upon completion.

You can always return to your profile to view and download your certificates.