Valerie K. Sabol

Valerie K. Sabol, PhD, MBA, ACNP-BC, GNP-BC, CHSE, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN is a Clinical Professor at the Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON) and the inaugural Director of Planetary Health, Office of Global and Community Health Initiatives. Planetary health is an interdisciplinary field that studies the interconnection between the health of the environment and the health of people, and seeks comprehensive, equity-focused solutions to address the impact of human disruption on Earth’s natural systems.

Dr. Sabol has served on several Duke committees focused on climate and sustainability initiatives. As the Duke Climate Commitment Education Subcommittee Co-Chair, she will help each of Duke’s ten schools integrate Duke’s Climate and Sustainability Fluency Framework into their own curricular programming and extracurricular activities. In partnership with the School of Medicine, Dr. Sabol also co-leads the interprofessional course, "Moral Movements in Medicine," and one of the course’s sections, ‘Health as an Ecosystem’.  Selected for the 2024 cohort of the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS), she participates in a research mentorship program funded by the NIH/NIEHS. Her research focuses on how social drivers of health, such as nutrition, physical activity, and climate change like extreme heat, impact the physical and mental health of our aging population.

Before serving in this inaugural role, Dr. Sabol served as Interim Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, was Chair for the Healthcare in Adult Populations Division, Program Director of the  Accelerated BSN (ABSN) Program, and the Director of the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner major in the MSN Program. Prior to working at Duke, Dr. Sabol was faculty at the University of Maryland School of Nursing for 11 years and directed the Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist Program.

As a dual, board-certified Adult Acute Care and Gerontology Nurse Practitioner and currently provides care to older Veterans at the Durham VA's Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) clinic. She has provided clinical care as a nurse practitioner at Duke University Medical Center with the Endocrinology Inpatient Consultation Service, the Duke COVID-19 Monoclonal Infusion Clinic, and the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC) at the Durham VA using telehealth.

Dr. Sabol is a past-President of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) and served on the North Carolina Great 100 Nurses Board of Directors as Treasurer. She is a former column editor for AACN Advanced Critical Care and Geriatric Nursing, and currently serves on editorial boards and as a reviewer for critical care, geriatric, and obesity-focused journals.