When Kitty Hill, RN, MSN, NNP-C, joined Duke Health as a new nurse in 1989, she didn’t expect to shape the future of neonatal care—or later, patient experience in oncology. But more than 30 years later, that’s exactly what she’s done.

Today, she now serves as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) Team Lead, guiding a team of more than 40 advanced practice providers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Duke North and the Special Care Nursery at Duke Regional Hospital.

Growing as a nurse – and the power of encouragement

Raised in a family of six children, Kitty was always drawn to caretaking and problem-solving. Nursing felt like a natural fit.

“I’ve always been a caretaker,” she shares. “I loved learning in the classroom and then seeing and doing those things in the hospital setting.”

After four formative years as a bedside nurse at Duke Health, Kitty’s leaders encouraged her to pursue advanced practice—a path not yet available at Duke at the time. She left Duke in 1993 to obtain her master’s degree and neonatal nurse practitioner certification. When a former Duke Health colleague invited her to return in 1998 to help grow the NNP team, the decision was easy. Her family lived on the East Coast, her heart was still with Duke Health, and the opportunity to lead in this way was too meaningful to pass up.

Leadership through lived experience
In 2021, Kitty was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer. Thanks to her attentive Duke Primary Care provider who acted on an abnormal blood test. She quickly began treatment and underwent an autologous stem cell transplant. Her treatment and recovery kept her out of work for six months, but with the help of coworkers and Duke Health’s Kiel Program Kitty found the support she needed in this next chapter of life.

What she remembers most? The support.

“I was unprepared and hadn’t signed up for short-term disability,” Kitty said. “I was going to use all my PTO. But my friends and coworkers donated enough PTO for me to be paid until I returned to work. It took so much worry off of me to have that support.”

That generosity inspired action. Kitty saw a flyer for the Oncology Patient Advisory Council (OPAC) at Duke Health shortly after her transplant and knew she had to be involved. She joined and now uses her unique dual perspective—as both a long-time clinician and patient. Today, she helps improve the patient experience for others facing a cancer journey at Duke Health.

“I had received such amazing care from the Team at Duke Blood Cancer Center and the transplant team there,” Kitty said. “I wanted to give back and hoped to make the situation better for other patients and families. I have enjoyed the support of my OPAC team as I go through the experience of having an incurable, but treatable cancer. In the last few years, I have been able to help with many initiatives to improve the patient experience at Duke.”

A full-circle contribution to care
Kitty’s impact is felt across Duke—from mentoring residents and nurses to strengthening neonatal care models. One of her proudest contributions has been shaping a resilient, high-performing NNP team at Duke Health.

“I’ve had the privilege to heal; support; educate new RNs, residents, and fellows; and to grow alongside this incredible institution,” she said. “Duke has always supported me—in my family life, my career growth, and even my health journey,” she said. “I grew up here. I have enjoyed the challenge, support, and comradery.”

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