Media Contact: Tehreem Khan
Joy Deupree, Ph.D.Joy Deupree, Ph.D., professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, was inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to health policy and health literacy in Alabama and nationwide.
Deupree, who serves as the co-director of the school’s Leadership and Health Policy Initiative and director of Health Policy Partnerships, is one of only two nurses to be selected in this year’s class of 13 health care leaders.
“To be inducted into the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame is quite humbling,” Deupree said. “I have such immense respect for the other Hall of Fame members, and I never dreamed I would fall into the category of this select group of health care leaders.”
Founded in 1997, the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates exceptional health care professionals for their impactful service to the state of Alabama.
Deupree has been a nurse for 29 years and a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner for 26 years. Throughout her career, she has been engaged in health policy advocacy, research and educational efforts at the state, national and international levels for health literacy and women’s health. She is widely recognized for her advocacy for populations who face challenges with understanding health care information.
Deupree served as faculty in the school from 1999 until her retirement in 2019, and returned full-time to the school in 2023 to co-lead the health policy arm of the new Leadership and Health Policy Initiative with Maria R. Shirey, Ph.D., dean of the School of Nursing and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair.
Over her career, Deupree’s work in health literacy and health policy has evolved. She first became interested in literacy work through her eldest daughter, who volunteered as a reading tutor. This experience incredibly impacted her and sparked a passion for health literacy.