Page 52 - University of Martland Nursing Forum - Winter 2017

ALUMNI PULSE
alumni spotlight
Army of Two: Patricia Travis, PhD ’88, MS ’76, BSN ’69, Wand Karen Huss, MS ’75, BSN ’69
ith nearly a century of combined nursing experience between the two of them,
identical twin sisters Patricia Travis and Karen Huss have touched the lives of countless patients and aspiring nurses.
Upon graduating from Bad Kreuznach American High School in Germany (their father served in the military and was stationed there), the sisters both decided to pursue nursing careers. They each earned scholarships and enrolled
in the University of Maryland School of Nursing’s two-year Army Student Nurse Program, a partnership between the School and the U.S. Department of the Army designed to increase the number of Army nurses during the Vietnam War era.
Huss, PhD, MS ’75, BSN ’69, CRNP, FAAAAI, FAHA, FAAN, spent three years working as an Army nurse, including an assignment in Ascom City, Korea, where she was appointed head nurse of a large medical surgical unit. She also served
as head nurse of a medical unit at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Huss achieved the rank of captain before leaving the Army to pursue a civilian academic career, starting with a position as an assistant professor in the School of Nursing.
Travis, PhD ’88, MS ’76, BSN ’69, RN, CCRP, also joined the Army after graduation and served for 27 years. She traveled around the world, assigned to U.S. Army-run hospitals in numerous senior nursing and management leadership roles, including a stint as nurse research consultant to the Army surgeon general.
“My sister and I took different paths,”
“Nursing offers you the opportunity to assume whatever role you’d like. As long as you pursue education, you can develop the skills you need to make major contributions ... .”
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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF NURSING 50
above: the sisters (at right) in kindergarten; right, l. to r.: Travis and Huss
Huss says, “but we both received doctoral degrees in nursing and we both have had exciting leadership opportunities.”
Travis, now senior associate director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, retired from the Army with the rank of colonel and turned her attention to mentorship
and service. As a dedicated member of professional organizations throughout her career, Travis has served the Maryland Nurses Association in many leadership roles, including president and first vice president of the board
of directors. She’s the nurse co-lead of the Maryland Action Coalition and is
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PATRICIA TRAVIS