UMass Boston

A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing since 2008, and author of over 100 publications in refereed journals, Professor Rosanna DeMarco has received numerous awards in recognition of her long-standing work with people living with HIV locally, nationally, and internationally. Her remarkable career included 11 years as a faculty member at UMass Boston, where she also served as the associate dean of academic affairs and interim dean of the Manning College of Nursing & Health Sciences. In 2024, she was named a Living Legend by the American Nurses Association Massachusetts, an award that recognizes nurses of the Commonwealth who have made significant lifetime contributions to the profession.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in nursing?

A: I grew up in a working-class Italian American family in Brockton, MA, and was the first in my family to attend college. My neighbor was a registered nurse and encouraged me to think about a future in nursing— not just as a hospital-based job, but as a dynamic field that blended art, science, and community. I’d considered becoming a physician, but I realized I was drawn more to the complex process of healing than the skills aligned with diagnosing disease toward cure. I wanted to help people live well in the real world and that has guided my entire path.

Q: You’ve described community and public health nursing as your place. What drew you there?

A: Community health let me meet people where they were: in their homes, in their  neighborhoods, in their lives. Early in my career, I worked in home care or visiting nursing and later joined a hospice home program as they were just becoming established in the U.S. This kind of nursing is rarely visible—it doesn’t come with scrubs or a white coat—but it’s deeply personal.

Q: You’ve worn many hats—nurse, teacher, administrator, researcher. How did that evolution happen?

A: Honestly, it happened because people noticed things in me that I hadn’t seen in myself. I started teaching because someone saw how effective I was in educating patients, families, and students. Later, I pursued my master’s in community and public health nursing—on a generous traineeship—and eventually earned my PhD at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, through a fellowship award. There, I saw how certain communities were experiencing a revolving door of illness and care, which helped me understand the challenge of health disparities on a deeper level. That made me want to undertake relevant research that could lead to real world, impactful interventions. Eventually, I moved into leadership positions in higher education because I wanted to help shape the future of my profession and build transdisciplinary knowledge across health sciences, both basic and applied.

Q: What drew you to UMass Boston?

A: At a public university, there’s this sense of responsibility that felt different. UMass Boston has this really human element that truly considers the community as part of who the  are and who they serve. And when I got here and met the students, who looked like me, sounded like me, and talked about how they wouldn’t be there without a scholarship, I knew it was the right fit.

Q: Is there any advice you would share with alumni who are part of the next generation of nurses and nursing educators?

A: I encourage those interested in the field to think about how the skills and education they have can serve others. Nurses are clinicians, researchers, educators, and administrators who always serve individuals, families, and neighborhoods in the context of advocacy. I think of nursing as the practice of healing and care—the applied science of prevention, health, and wellness in the context of the environment and the person—that’s what sets us apart. Often, when the media needs a health expert, they call a physician. I hope soon that people will recognize that nurses can contribute significantly as spokespersons for health, because that’s what we do every day—advance health.

Q: What have you been up to since retiring from UMass Boston?

A: Retirement’s been full—in the best way. I’m currently a nurse scientist at the VA Boston Healthcare System, mentoring newly graduated nurses on evidence-based health projects to improve care for our veterans. I co-lead a research interest group with the Eastern Nursing Research Society, focused on active military and veteran health, and continue to publish refereed articles and a community and public health textbook for undergraduate nursing students. I still get calls from PhD students asking me to join their dissertation committees, which is gratifying! For fun, I am an avid Mass Audubon member, I work on improving my pencil sketching, and I’m reading all the classic novels I missed along the way. I have a lot to share, and I still have a lot to learn.