Investing in Nantucket's Healthcare Community

To the editor: As I begin my final semester of the Doctor of Health Sciences program at MGB University of Health Professions, I find myself reflecting on the people and organizations that helped make this journey possible. This May, I will graduate with my doctorate, a milestone I could not have reached without the generous support of the Dorothy Egan Foundation and the Beinecke Foundation.

I have been part of Nantucket Cottage Hospital for more than 27 years, and during that time I have had the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally while caring for the community I call home. Continuing my education while working full time and living 30 miles out to sea has not always been easy. The financial support I received from these foundations helped make it possible for me to pursue a goal that once seemed very far away.

What I appreciate most is that this support reaches far beyond one student or one degree. The Dorothy Egan Foundation and the Beinecke Foundation recognize the importance of investing in the people who live and work on Nantucket. When they help healthcare professionals continue their education, that investment comes back to our island through new knowledge, stronger leadership, expanded skills, and ultimately better care for our patients and families.

For a small island community, these opportunities matter. Recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in a geographically isolated community comes with unique challenges. Supporting the education and professional growth of the people who have already chosen to make Nantucket their home is another important way to strengthen our healthcare community for the future.

As I approach graduation, I want to publicly thank the Dorothy Egan Foundation and the Beinecke Foundation for investing in my education and, more importantly, for continuing to invest in Nantucket and its healthcare professionals. Your generosity has made a lasting difference in my life, and I know I am only one of many who have benefited from your commitment to our island.

After more than 27 years at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, I am proud that I am still learning, still growing, and still finding new ways to give back to the community that has given me so much. When I walk across the stage in May, I will do so with tremendous gratitude for the organizations that helped me get there.

Allyson E. Silverthorne Bold, MBA, BS, MLS(AMT)
Director of Imaging
Nantucket Cottage Hospital
Doctor of Health Sciences Candidate, May 2027