An exclusive interview

Affecting healthcare through nurse-led change

“Back in 1995, I was actually working as a candy striper here in the St. Louis area, at local hospitals. My dad's mother worked there at the time. She's like, “Hey, you know you can be a candy striper? And you can have something to do over the summer time.” I thought it was interesting, and I was able to go into the hospital. My mother went to nursing school, but she didn't quite finish, so I have a little bit of experience of her being a CNA and then going into nursing school, but this was a little bit different because I was able to really see them firsthand and actually see what they do. The biggest thing I noticed was how the patient responded to the nurses. They were very thankful for the care they were receiving in the hospital, and I just thought, “I want somebody to look at me like that.””

Dr. Leonora Muhammad is the SVP and chief nursing executive at YesCare, which provides correctional healthcare services, and has been since 2006. She received her associates degree in nursing science from Chamberlain University and her bachelor’s in nursing practice from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis. She received her doctorate in nursing practice from Brandman University, where she became a Adult Geriatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. In 2020, she became a board member of the National Black Nurses Association, and in 2021, she became the president of the group’s St. Louis branch.

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