In Memoriam: Jodie Neukirch Elliott

Prior to joining the Duke University team in 2017, Jodie worked at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, where she was a Clinical Social Worker and longtime Program Director of The Adolescent Leadership Council (TALC), an award-winning transition-focused program serving dozens of teens with chronic illness, their parents, and college-aged mentors. She received a Promising Practice Award for Promoting Adolescents’ Strengths from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2012) in recognition of her leadership of the TALC program, and a Brite Lite Award from Hasbro Children’s Hospital (2012) for her exceptional patient care. She co-authored numerous academic publications, journal articles and peer-reviewed presentations.

Jodie was a graduate of Dartmouth College (2005), the University of Washington’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Pathobiology (2008), and Boston University’s School of Social Work (2015), where she received the Carolyn Jacobs Prize, presented annually to an outstanding graduate student with a commitment to social work practice in health care. Throughout her childhood, Jodie attended Chicago Public Schools, serving as a high school student representative to the Chicago Board of Education.

Jodie’s legacy will live on through the healthcare programs she led, developed and championed to support children and young adults with chronic medical conditions. Most recently, Jodie worked as a Clinical Social Worker and the Clinical Director of Adolescents Transitioning to Leadership and Success (ATLAS) at Duke University, including managing multiple programs for young adults with chronic health conditions and serving as chair of the Duke University Healthcare Transition Taskforce. These programs—along with the curriculum and methods she developed over the course of her career for peer health coaching and healthcare transition—are nationally recognized and have served as a model for similar programs across the country. Her lasting impact will be felt in the coming years as the thousands of young people and families supported by these programs go out and make the world a better place, as Jodie did. She made countless children with chronic illness believe that they, too, could live fulfilling and meaningful lives, and pursue all their dreams despite the challenges of their health conditions. She was a role model and beacon of light to innumerable patients, colleagues, friends and family members.

A memorial was be held at Concordia Church (3855 N. Seeley Avenue) in Chicago on Saturday, August 20, 2022. The visitation was at 9 a.m. followed by a memorial service from 10-11 a.m. 

The memorial in Chicago was be streamed online live and recorded for those who are unable to attend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixU-kfBw84I 

Additionally, a celebration for Jodie was held in Durham, NC on Saturday, August 27, 2022. The celebration was at 1pm, at the Duke University School of Nursing Atrium and Patio.