Overview
Debra Brandon, Professor joined the faculty of the Duke University School of Nursing in 1999. She was Director of the PhD Program in Nursing from from July of 2011 until January 30th of 2018. She is currently the Division Chair for the Division of Women, Children, and Families. She also practiced as a Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Intensive Care Nursery of Duke University Medical Center from 1993 to 2012. Dr. Brandon is an active member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), the International Society for Infant Studies ISIS), and is a Co-editor in Chief for the journal Advances in Neonatal Care. Dr. Brandon’s research focuses on understanding the impact of the environment of care on the health and development of high-risk infants and young children with an overall goal of implementing interventions to improve the short- and long-term outcomes of both the infants and their families.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Parents+: An Early Behavioral Intervention as a Pathway for Parent-Partnered Care.
Journal Article Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses · October 2025 BackgroundNeonatal nurses have a major role in helping parents engage with their infant. A high level of parent participation, called Parent-Partnered Care, integrates parents as full partners in the delivery of hospital care to their infants. One ... Full text CiteFeasibility of an Intervention to Support Shared Decision-Making for Critically Ill Infants.
Journal Article J Pediatr · August 2025 OBJECTIVE: To develop and pilot an intervention to support communication and decision-making for critically ill infants. STUDY DESIGN: In this single-arm, mixed-methods, prospective, feasibility study, we enrolled infants, parents, and clinicians at a sing ... Full text Link to item CiteParents' Experiences With an Early Behavioral Intervention, H-HOPE, in the NICU and at Home: A Qualitative Study.
Journal Article Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses · August 2025 BackgroundEarly parent involvement in an infant's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay has positive benefits for the parent, the preterm infant, and the parent-infant relationship. H-HOPE (Hospital to Home: Optimizing the Preterm Infant's Envi ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
2/3 CTSA K12 Program at Duke University
ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2025 - 2030Nurse LEADS: Training in Nurse-LEd models of care ADdressing the Social Determinants of Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Nursing Research · 2024 - 2029Influences Of Social Determinants Of Health And Parental Participation In Hospital Care On Development Of Parenting Confidence Among Parents Of Children With A Congenital Heart Defect
FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026View All Grants