Elaine C. Hubbard Remembered for Advancing Nursing Education, Community-Centered Care
By Nora Williamson
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Professor Emerita Elaine C. Hubbard, a larger-than-life figure who laid the foundation for the vast reach of today’s clinical services offered by the University of Rochester School of Nursing, died Dec. 9, 2025. She was 98.
A passion for primary care and caring for the elderly were hallmarks of Hubbard’s influential 40-year career as a nurse, faculty member, and departmental administrator. She joined the newly formed University of Rochester School of Nursing in 1975 and was named the first associate dean for undergraduate studies and later became the director of its community-centered practice. She was also the architect and first director of the Community Nursing Center (CNC), the precursor to the current Center for Nursing Entrepreneurship, which helped to launch the school’s community-based Passport Health travel clinic and Center for Employee Wellness.
“Elaine Hubbard was a visionary leader whose dedication helped shape the foundation of the University of Rochester School of Nursing,” said Dean Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. “Her deep commitment to advancing nursing education, care, and research continues to guide and inspire our work today. We are grateful for her lasting impact on our students, faculty, and the generations of nurses who will follow in her footsteps.”
After retiring in 1990, Hubbard remained active with the University as a volunteer and generous donor. She was a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and former chair of the Hospice Quality Advisory Committee. She was the School’s representative on the Medical Center Campaign Advisory Board and was a member of the George Eastman Circle.
Hubbard also served on the board of the Visiting Nurse Service (now UR Medicine Home Care), where she collaborated with Vicky Hines, MHA — then the VNS president and CEO and a former associate dean for administration and finance at the School — to develop the organization’s first telemedicine program in home care. They believed that patients who participated actively in their daily care would experience better health and wellness outcomes.
“Elaine was a force of nature,” Hines said. “I never worked with someone more passionate about the role of nurses and nurse practitioners as primary care providers. She was a trailblazer in that regard and worked tirelessly to impact policy and belief systems to strengthen the role of primary care providers in caring for patients.”
In recognition of her extraordinary service and leadership and her commitment to the school, she was awarded the Dean’s Medal by the University in 2013. The Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging, named in her honor in 2006, now serves as a hub for pioneering research dedicated to promoting healthy aging, advancing geriatric care, and improving the well-being of older adults through innovative and community-engaged science.
“The vision Dr. Hubbard championed lives on in the work we do every day at the Center,” said Kathi Heffner, PhD, the Center’s director and a professor in nursing, medicine, and psychiatry. “Her dedication to fostering nursing discoveries that advance healthy aging and her drive to innovate care continues to shape our priorities, inspire our science, and deepen our commitment to communities we serve.”
Hubbard began her nursing career in 1950 after graduating from Bates College. She attended the University of Oslo in Norway before earning her doctorate from Boston University in 1970. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded her a postdoctoral fellowship, which she completed at Harvard University’s Radcliffe College.
After joining the School of Nursing, she served as director of the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Fellowship Program in primary health care from 1976 to 1981. Under her direction, 25 fellows completed the program and became certified nurse practitioners in primary care. Hubbard herself practiced with the University’s Department of Medicine as an adult nurse practitioner and served as an advisor, board member, and trustee for a number of educational and health-care related institutions.
She was elected to the College Key of Bates College as an “outstanding Bates woman” and belonged to the Sigma Theta Tau International, the honor society of nursing, as well as the education honor society Pi Lambda Theta.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. Visit son.rochester.edu/alumni/donate.
Donate to the Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging
Categories: Alumni