Margaret Furr

Margaret R. Furr, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, PED-BC, PMH-BC, CMSRN is honored to be the recipient of the 2025 NEF Eleanor C. Lambertsen Scholarship, given to a doctoral student in nursing education or administration.  Born in Kananga, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) to missionary parents, Margaret always aspired to become a nurse—particularly a pediatric nurse—after witnessing children suffer from preventable and treatable illnesses.

She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Eastern Mennonite University and began her career on a mixed pediatric and adult medical-surgical unit at what is now Sentara RMH Medical Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she has worked for over 23 years. Her career has included roles as a patient care supervisor and a nursing professional development (NPD) practitioner for pediatrics, behavioral health, and medical-surgical units. She has also contributed actively to system-level forums focused on pediatric and behavioral health care. 

These experiences sparked a passion for teaching and leading change, which led her to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing Education from Walden University. After earning her MSN, Margaret transitioned into the role of NPD specialist and in addition began teaching as an adjunct clinical instructor at Eastern Mennonite University.

Margaret’s professional focus has been on improving safety for vulnerable populations—particularly pediatric and behavioral health patients. Her pediatric initiatives include implementing a Pediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS) and developing a standardized pediatric code cart system across the system. In behavioral health, she helped implement an aggression screening tool aimed at reducing staff and patient assaults and aided in implementation of a validated suicide screening tool. She also directed the instructional program for physical de-escalation techniques. On a community level, her passion for caring for children has been evidenced by her work with Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline as a troop leader and her work with children’s ministry at her local church.  Most recently, Margaret assumed the role of Magnet Program Manager at Sentara RMH Medical Center.

Driven by her ongoing commitment to system-level change and a desire to better understand healthcare data in relation to nursing practice, Margaret began her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) studies at the Goshen College–Eastern Mennonite University DNP Consortium. Returning to her alma mater allows her to deepen her education in an environment that emphasizes servant leadership and systems thinking. Her proposed DNP project focuses on improving organizational support for healthcare staff who have experienced workplace assaults and examining the impact of this support on staff retention—both within her organization and the broader nursing workforce.

Margaret is deeply honored to receive this scholarship. As a mother of a college student and a rising high school senior, she is especially grateful for the financial support that allows her to pursue her professional dreams while continuing to care for her family and her community.