Deanna Young ’18, RN, chose Adelphi for the strength and reputation of its nursing program.
In anatomy and pharmacology courses, she built the scientific knowledge she relies on in clinical practice today. Through nursing faculty and clinical experiences, she also learned that excellent care requires compassion for patients and for the families facing frightening, unfamiliar circumstances. She said she was especially inspired by the passion of Clinical Associate Professor Daniel J. McWeeney, DNP.
After graduation, Young joined Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she has spent nearly eight years caring for critically ill infants and supporting their families. She now serves on both the neonatal intensive care unit team and the pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, team. ECMO temporarily performs the work of a patient’s heart and lungs, and the children who require it are often among the most critically ill patients in the hospital.
Young considers it a privilege to earn families’ trust during some of the most difficult days of their lives. She takes particular pride in her ability to explain what is happening, calm parents’ fears, and offer relief amid medical uncertainty. That steady, compassionate presence is as central to her nursing practice as her specialized clinical knowledge.
Adelphi celebrates Young as a 2026 10 Under 10 honoree for bringing skill, composure and humanity to the highest-stakes moments of pediatric care—and for embodying the science and compassion at the heart of an Adelphi nursing education.
Member of Adelphi University’s 10 Under 10