University of Maryland School of Nursing’s Murphy Buc Recognized for Leadership in Restorative Justice and Palliative Care

Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing’s Hannah Murphy Buc, PhD, RN, assistant professor, Bachelor of Science in Nursing program co-director, and director of Restorative Justice (RJ), has been awarded the Maryland Nurses Association’s (MNA) Outstanding Pathfinder Award for her work in restorative justice. She also has been named one of 30 recipients of the 2025 Emerging Leader Award by the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF).

MNA’s Outstanding Pathfinder Award is presented to an MNA member who has demonstrated excellence and creative leadership that fosters the development of the nursing profession. Award recipients have been pioneers in nursing innovation or have developed creative approaches to further nursing’s agenda. 

Murphy Buc was nominated for the Pathfinder Award by Veronica Gutchell, DNP ’13, RN, CNS, CRNP, assistant professor; chair of the Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice; and director of the Governor’s Wellmobile Program.

“This individual has devoted her nursing career to issues of health equity, diversity, and inclusion,” Gutchell wrote in her nomination. “Her nursing career has spanned working on social justice for those unhoused, experiencing poverty, as well as those in the prison justice system. In academia, as an expert in palliative care, she developed a palliative care nursing curriculum for vulnerable populations.”

Murphy Buc’s more recent efforts have focused on bringing the principles of restorative justice — relationship building, respect for all, responsibility for one’s actions, and repair of harms — to UMSON, Gutchell wrote.

“She began by participating in RJ facilitator training in 2020 with several faculty and staff colleagues and immediately organized community-building circles and restorative conversations,” the nomination read. Community-building circles take place in diverse settings such as student classrooms, faculty and staff development programs, and department meetings to create an inclusive, welcoming working environment. Restorative conversations address interpersonal conflict or social concerns through compassionate communication that is curious and collaborative.

Murphy Buc has trained RJ facilitators at UMSON, Gutchell continued; while faculty and staff facilitators have been offering RJ services at UMSON since 2020, a first cohort of 12 faculty and staff facilitators completed a facilitator training curriculum this past August that Murphy Buc created. This has increased the School’s capacity to resolve harms by building facilitator skills in RJ harm circles, which seek to repair relationships. RJ harm circles address the needs of the individual and provide the person who did the harm the opportunity to take responsibility for their actions. 

A 2023 - 24 Gold Humanism Scholar, Murphy Buc received funding to develop a student RJ leadership program, which she implemented at UMSON this fall.

HPNF 2025 Emerging Leader Award

Recipients of the 2025 Emerging Leader Award are exceptional hospice and palliative care nurses who represent the future of the field, having demonstrated remarkable leadership, innovation, and dedication early in their careers. 

Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN, assistant professor, nominated Murphy Buc for the prestigious honor, explaining the ways in which Murphy Buc has demonstrated significant leadership in palliative care nursing over the past five years. 

“She completed her PhD in 2023, which focused on highlighting the experiences of people with serious illness experiencing homelessness — a population frequently underserved by hospice and palliative care agencies,” Carpenter wrote. “Her important research was supported by a competitive grant from the Maryland Higher Education Commission, enabling her to contribute this much needed research to the field.

“In January 2023, Murphy Buc helped launch a required undergraduate primary palliative care course at UMSON, shaping the curriculum, teaching the content, and advising students. She is now leading the faculty in the design and conduct of a longitudinal study examining the effectiveness of introducing palliative competencies early in nurses’ education.”

Murphy Buc is also a member UMSON’s Serious Illness Scholars scholarship group, assisting PhD students and faculty colleagues with their scholarly endeavors.

“Her leadership in research, education, and mentorship is critical to the future of palliative nursing,” Carpenter stated.

As HPNF Emerging Leaders, recipients receive an annual Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association membership, a personalized plaque and pin, and special recognition during a dedicated virtual celebration showcasing their achievements and highlighting the bright future they bring to hospice and palliative nursing care.

Murphy Buc joined UMSON in 2018 and initially served as a course coordinator in the BSN program. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing as an adult health clinical nurse specialist (with a palliative care specialty) and a post-master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clayton State University in Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies from Guilford College in North Carolina. Murphy Buc also holds a Trainer Certification from the End-of-life Nursing Education Consortium.

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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.