CARRIE L. CORMACK, DNP, CPNP, FPCN, FAAN
Early in her career, Carrie Cormack cared for a teenager with burns over 80% of his body. Among her most meaningful moments were sitting at his bedside overnight while his mother rested. Following his discharge many months later, his mother updated Cormack on his rehab, return to school and other successes.
“Life wasn’t easy, but I was glad to know that I had played even a small part in his journey,” she explained. “That experience taught me one of the most powerful lessons in nursing – that healing isn’t always about what we do or say but about being there, fully present, when someone needs it most.”
That lesson, she said, shaped her approach to her various roles, from caring for families facing life-limiting diagnoses to mentoring nurses across the globe in palliative care. “The power of presence, compassion and human connection remains at the heart of everything I do, whether I’m at the bedside, in the classroom or collaborating with colleagues around the world,” she noted.
Cormack serves the Medical University of South Carolina as a distinguished professor in palliative care and associate professor, palliative care lead, focusing on preparing nurses to care for individuals and families facing serious illness. She works with nursing leaders from across the globe through the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, sharing gold-standard principles in palliative care. “Witnessing how culture and spirituality shape the experience of illness and caregiving around the world has deepened my understanding of what it means to provide truly compassionate, human-centered care,” she explained.
She also continues service as a perinatal nurse practitioner and remains inspired by her patients and their families, particularly their resilience, love and courage in the face of unimaginable challenges. “They remind me daily of the power of empathy and the privilege it is to be invited into such intimate and sacred spaces,” she said. “Their strength fuels my passion for palliative care and motivates me to continue teaching and mentoring others to approach this work with compassion and grace. [They’re] all part of the same mission – to ensure that every person facing serious illness receives compassionate, skilled care.”
