Music Educator to Nurse Innovator

Dr. Lya Stroupe didn’t have a traditional start to her nursing career. Stroupe received her undergraduate degree at Concord University studying music education. She went on to attend West Virginia University in pursuit of her Master of Music degree in piano pedagogy and her Doctorate in Piano Performance.  

Ten years later, Stroupe made a full 360 in her career path and began her journey at the WVU School of Nursing. In 2008, she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and went on to pursue her Master of Nursing degree (MSN) at the Medical University of South Carolina. After receiving her MSN, Stroupe decided to pursue yet another degree earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2013. 

She has since prioritized leading system-wide initiatives to improve nursing practice and patient-centered care. Recently, she has been involved in the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship Program (JJNIF), through Penn Nursing and the Wharton School. 

Stroupe was one of 20 nurses in the country selected for the fellowship program, where she and another exemplary person in the nursing profession, Dr. Melanie Heuston, work as a team to revitalize interest in bedside care in new generations of nurses. 

The JJNIF program immerses the fellows in human-centered and equity-centered design and design thinking methodologies, paired with business acumen and leadership skills development. The goal of their innovation is to explore the idea that nurses in training should have immersive, experiential opportunities to truly understand the realities of being an RN beyond classroom learning.

The duo is passionate about developing an initiative that aims to help those who are interested in nursing and current nursing students, explore the profession and the opportunities available to them. Today, Stroupe and Heuston are still working on their fellowship project which will be presented at the Johnson & Johnson Headquarters in May 2024. 

Outside of her fellowship journey, Stroupe continues to demonstrate her Mountaineer spirit in her position as the Director of WVU Health System Nursing Professional Practice and Education.