Carol Durham

Carol Durham, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, FSSH, served as Professor and Director of the Education-Innovation-Simulation Learning Environment (EISLE) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing in Health Science until her retirement after 45 years of service at the end of 2025. Raised in Rockfish, North Carolina, she pursued nursing inspired by compassionate care her father received at a VA hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Carolina University and Master of Science in Nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1980, the year she joined the faculty in the skills laboratory. Durham advanced nursing education by pioneering simulation, securing the school's first human patient simulator, 'Stan the Man,' in the early 2000s, making UNC one of the second nursing schools nationwide to adopt such technology. She expanded simulation to include pediatric, infant, and birthing manikins, enabling students to practice critical skills like injections, tracheotomy suctioning, and interprofessional collaboration in realistic scenarios.

Durham's research specializations encompassed quality and safety education for nurses, interprofessional education, clinical simulation, and experiential learning to enhance clinical reasoning and skill acquisition. As a simulation expert on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project, she developed simulation-based experiences integrated into curricula, influencing the 2021 AACN Essentials and national nursing education standards. She served as president of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation & Learning (INACSL), co-founded UNC's Office for Interprofessional Education and Practice as the School's inaugural director, and created the Relational Leadership™ @ Carolina program fostering psychological safety in teams. Her honors include the 2025 Gov. James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service, 2023 Society for Simulation in Healthcare Director of the Year, 2025 DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award, fellowships in the American Academy of Nursing (2013), National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education (2009), and Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy (2020), 2005 North Carolina Board of Nursing Nurse Educator of the Year, 2010 Academic Achievement Award from Western Carolina University, and 2008 Alumni of the Year from UNC and Western Carolina University. In 2010, she survived septic shock at UNC Hospitals, attributing her care to her training protocols, and shared her story in People magazine and conferences to raise sepsis awareness.

Professional Email: Carol_Durham@unc.edu