Nursing alum receives prestigious McElroy Fellowship

Luther College alumnus Duong Truong has been named one of two recipients of the 42nd annual McElroy Graduate Fellowships, one of the most competitive academic honors in northeast Iowa. The McElroy Graduate Fellowship provides $36,000 over three years to support graduate study. Truong is pursuing a Ph.D. in nursing science at the University of California, Davis.

“It feels surreal to receive such a prestigious award,” Truong said. “All of the other candidates are much more deserving than I am.”

Truong graduated with a nursing degree from Luther in 2024. After graduation, Truong worked as a registered nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

“My goal is to become a nurse scientist,” Truong said. “My current interest is to improve health outcomes for the clients and their caregivers through promoting physical exercise. With graduate training, I can continue to implement more community-based projects to improve health and reduce costs.”

Luther President Brad Chamberlain praised Truong’s impressive record of “hands-on research and perseverance” in his nomination letter.

“While all of our potential candidates for the McElroy Graduate Fellowship have high GPAs in challenging academic fields, Duong stands out due to his extensive independent research experience in both nursing and religion,” Chamberlain said.

When Truong was a Luther student, he received a Davis Projects for Peace grant, which he used to set up nursing school scholarships for Catholic nuns in Vietnam. That same summer, Truong conducted field research at a Buddhist hospital in Taiwan as the recipient of the Steen Fellowship. This Luther program awards two students each year $5,000 to complete research projects outside of Decorah.

“Both of these awards require a great deal of insight, creativity and dedication on the part of the student – qualities that will allow Duong to thrive in graduate school and in his career as a nurse scientist,” Chamberlain said.

Angela Kueny, associate professor of nursing and global health program director at Luther, worked closely with Truong on his senior honors project. For this project, Truong researched the results of using a medical-grade honey product as wound therapy for critically ill patients.

“Duong is a very unique student who has the ability to see physiological cellular level processes to innovate the best treatment plan, while simultaneously seeing and spiritually engaging the whole person,” she said. “It was my honor to work with Duong, witnessing his ambition and intellectual abilities. He will continue to make significant contributions to the nursing scholar community.”

Truong is grateful to many Luther professors for their support and guidance.

“I want to thank Professor (Elizabeth) Steding for helping me review the written application, together with Professor (Brian) Hiester and Professor (Stephanie) Travers for conducting the mock interview,” he said. “I also want to thank Professor (Molly) Wilker and the undergraduate research program for the generous research grants. I am grateful for the guidance of our nursing department, especially from my advisor Professor Kueny, and to Professor (Gereon) Kopf from the religion department for his insights and wondrous teachings.”

Truong credits the supportive Luther community, a strong Nursing Department and diverse research funding opportunities as the sources of his academic and professional success.

“I was fortunate to have received strong student-faculty mentorship and generous grants from Luther to plan and implement my projects in academics and social service,” he said. “Luther’s strength is that the college does not simply serve as a place where you get your degree. Luther moves beyond that status to be an institution that shapes our future vocation and nurtures a mind of service. The Luther community teaches us to live responsibly and benefit the community in different fields, whether in music, sports, business, research or social engagement. With that shared heritage, the nursing program at Luther prepared us well for the profession and graduate school training for my case.”

The McElroy Trust Fellowship program, established in 1983, is designed to “encourage a person of accomplishment, intelligence, integrity and leadership ability to pursue challenging academic careers.” To be eligible, a candidate must be a recent graduate or a graduating senior of a liberal arts program at Clarke College, Loras College, University of Dubuque, Luther College, Wartburg College, Coe College, Cornell College, Mount Mercy College, and the University of Northern Iowa.

The fellowship candidate must intend to immediately pursue a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (Ph.D) at an accredited university of his or her choice. Students pursuing M.D., J.D., Ed.D., Pharm.D. or other professional degrees are not eligible.

The McElroy Trust’s benefactor, Ralph J. McElroy, was a pioneer broadcaster who founded the Black Hawk Broadcasting Company in 1947. He passed away in 1965.