The University of Vermont College of Nursing and Health Sciences recently celebrated the appointment of Elise Tarbi, Ph.D., AGPCNP-BC, as the Holly D. and Robert E. Miller Green and Gold Professor of Nursing. This endowed faculty position recognizes excellence in teaching, research, and service and honors the lasting philanthropic legacy of Holly and Bob Miller.
“I know that Professor Tarbi is poised to carry on this work in the spirit of the Millers, with dedication, compassion, and passion,” said CNHS Dean Noma Anderson in her opening remarks at the investiture ceremony.
The professorship reflects the Millers’ exceptional commitment to improving the health care experience for patients and families, as well as their support of the education, research, and clinical missions of the UVM College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS), the UVM Larner College of Medicine, and the UVM Medical Center. Though both Holly and Bob Miller have passed away, their generosity continues to shape health care and health sciences education across Vermont.
A Focus on Conversation and Compassion
Dr. Tarbi joined UVM in 2022 after building a career in nursing practice, scholarship, and education centered on serious illness care. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania and her postdoctoral training at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she developed a strong interest in patient–clinician communication.
Her work centers on how conversations among patients, families, and health care providers can meaningfully reduce suffering and improve care for individuals facing serious illness. Drawing on her experience as a registered nurse in the medical intensive care unit and as a palliative care nurse practitioner, Tarbi has demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and mentorship across disciplines.
“Elise has built her practice, her service, and her scholarship on looking at conversations among individuals and their providers and others as they approach the end of life,” said Rosemary Dale, associate dean for clinical practice and chair of the Department of Nursing in CNHS.
Looking Ahead
In her remarks, Tarbi expressed deep gratitude to the Miller family, college leadership, mentors, colleagues, and her family.
“Once I began working as a nurse, I quickly learned that conversation and connection are among the most powerful tools we have to alleviate the suffering associated with serious illness,” said Tarbi. “These experiences fuel every aspect of my work, inspiring me to reimagine a health care system that prioritizes and incentivizes meaningful, person-centered communication at a time of immense technological advancement, when how we provide and measure care is rapidly changing.”
Tarbi also highlighted her recent five-year career development award from the American Cancer Society, which supports her work to improve high-quality cancer care and communication for rural communities through telehealth. The Miller Professorship will help advance this research, ensuring that person-centered communication remains at the heart of care delivery, regardless of setting.
“To echo the poet David Whyte,” Tarbi added, “the ability to ask beautiful questions, often in very unbeautiful moments, is one of the great disciplines of a human life.”
“I’m grateful to everyone who helps me continue to ask questions that I hope will transform care for the better,” said Tarbi.
Dr. Tarbi recently co-authored a Lancet Oncology article titled “The power of words: evaluating the role of qualitative methods in cancer research,” which explores why qualitative research is an essential and often underrecognized component of advancing cancer care.
