Saturday, June 28, 2025

11:00 am - 1:30 pm

The Nurses of Ellis Island: Life and Work inside the Golden Door tells the story of the nurses who offered hope and healing to some of America’s most vulnerable patients. In the once-modern hospital complex on the south side of Ellis Island, a small group of nurses from the U.S. Public Health Service expertly cared for patients of all ages and backgrounds, suffering from every imaginable illness and injury.

Join Save Ellis Island for a special event featuring the award-winning authors and accomplished nurse historians Michelle Hehman and Arlene Keeling, as they discuss their latest work that brings to life the largely invisible yet indispensable work of nursing at the intersection of immigration and public health policy.

Guests will receive a signed copy of the book, followed by coffee and conversation, and an exclusive guided tour of the unrestored Ellis Island Hospital Complex, where these nurses once worked. Walk the halls of history and hear the stories of their compassion and service in this unforgettable exploration of the past.

Michelle C. Hehman, PhD, RN, NPD-BC is a Nurse Historian, Chief Nurse Scientist at Nursing Science Partners, and Associate Editor of Nursing History Review. Dr. Hehman’s research centers the role and work of nursing within the U.S. healthcare system and evaluates the past, present, and future of nursing practice to explore how the profession intersects with concepts like the ethical use of medical technology, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and the creation of healthy work environments. Along with fellow nurse historians Drs. Arlene Keeling and John Kirchgessner, Dr. Hehman is co-author and editor of History of Professional Nursing in the United States: Toward a Culture of Health. The textbook was awarded “Book of the Year” honors for history and public policy in 2018 from the American Journal of Nursing. The Nurses of Ellis Island: Life and Work inside the Golden Door, is another collaboration with Dr. Arlene Keeling that tells the history of nursing in Ellis Island Hospitals.

Arlene Keeling, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an award-winning nurse historian and the Centennial Distinguished Professor of Nursing Emerita at the University of Virginia. She is the former director of the Eleanor Crowder Bjoring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry and past president of the American Association for the History of Nursing. Dr. Keeling has authored and co-edited multiple books on nursing history, including Nursing and the Privilege of Prescription, 1893-2000, Nurses on the Frontline, and History of Professional Nursing in the United States: Toward a Culture of Health, which won the American Journal of Nursing’s 2018 “Book of the Year” for history and public policy. Her latest book, The Nurses of Ellis Island: Life and Work Inside the Golden Door, is a collaboration with Dr. Michelle Hehman that explores the vital role of nurses at Ellis Island Hospitals. Dr. Keeling is currently writing a book manuscript on “The Nurses of the Boston Floating Hospital, 1894 -1927.”

The ticket price includes the purchase of guests’ ferry ticket, book, and the tour. All attendees will receive their ferry ticket and arrival instructions prior to the event.

Questions? Please contact Irene Mone - imone@saveellisisland.org or call 201-332-8485 x4