Season 5 • Episode 7

2 Nurse Leaders at the Peak of Their Public Health Careers Resigned — Here’s Why (With Dena Bushman and Rebekah Stewart)

Mar 5, 2026

33:17

Public Health Infectious Disease Emerging Infections

Episode Description

In this episode of the Love n' Leary Podcast, hosts Marion Leary and Rebecca Love speak with nurses Dena Bushman and Rebekah Stewart about their difficult decision to resign from the United States Public Health Service. After years of leadership in public health and infectious disease response, both nurses share the ethical and moral conflicts they faced when deployments shifted toward immigration detention facilities. Through candid conversation, they discuss moral distress, nursing ethics, and the responsibility nurses carry when systems conflict with patient care. This episode explores advocacy, courage, and how nurses can use their voices to drive change in healthcare and beyond.

Jump Ahead to Listen:

[00:01:21] Nurses resign from U.S. Public Health Service
[00:01:42] Dena’s background and CDC / EIS path
[00:03:07] Becky’s ER, Ebola, and CDC career overview
[00:06:24] Becky’s ethical breaking point and decision to resign
[00:09:37] What the U.S. Public Health Service is
[00:11:58] Shift in deployments toward detention facilities
[00:13:20] Question about deaths and conditions in detention
[00:13:47] Becky’s 2019 Border Patrol deployment experience
[00:17:42] Dena rostered to ICE and Guantánamo, moral distress
[00:25:03] Dena on using your voice and next steps for nurses

Connect with Rebekah:

LinkedIn: Rebekah Stewart
Substack: @rebekahjstewart

Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn

Connect with Marion on social media:

Instagram: @marionleary
TikTok: @marionleary
Facebook: Marion Leary

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