An MTSU alumna who’s also a nursing professor has been hailed as a health care hero in a network television special.

Country Music Television featured Brittany Marks, an adjunct professor in the MTSU School of Nursing’s Master of Science in Nursing Program, in “CMT Celebrates Our Heroes,” a two-hour simulcast that debuted June 3 on CMT, the Paramount Network, Pop TV and TV Land.

Brittany Marks

Singers and musicians paid musical tributes to the professionals on the front lines in the fight against the novel coronavirus, including health care workers, food industry employees and businesses that are producing personal protective equipment.

Marks said a friend recommended her to CMT through a network contact, and the network sent a crew to interview her.

“While I do not consider myself a hero — just doing my job and grateful to take care of patients — I think they found it most interesting that I am helping care for some of the high-risk people living with diabetes in Middle Tennessee during such a scary time for them,” Marks said.

A Murfreesboro resident who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and reared in Fort Myers, Florida, Marks earned her master’s degree from MTSU in 2014.

She is a family nurse practitioner who teaches the clinical component of some of the university’s nurse practitioner courses online.

Marks also performs advanced diabetes management at an internal medicine practice in Murfreesboro. She said she and her colleagues found the work a little scary at the onset of the pandemic, but they are better informed and prepared now.

“Our entire clinic and department have really stepped up and worked together to keep our clinic a clean and safe place for patients and staff,” Marks said.

Brittany Marks, left, an MTSU alumna and adjunct professor of nursing, and her daughter, Camryll, check out some Rice Krispies treats sent by Country Music Television and Kellogg’s. Marks was featured June 3 on “CMT Celebrates Our Heroes,” a tribute to people fighting COVID-19. (Screen capture)

Marks’ students also understand how COVID-19 has forced health care professionals to cope with new challenges. They’re working nurses who are going back to school to become nurse practitioners.

“I think many of them have been under a great deal of stress working the front line already and are eager to continue pursuing their advanced nursing career,” Marks said.

“The stress level is high, but we also are thankful and humbled to be able to do what we do.”

CMT and Kellogg’s donated $10,000 to Feeding America in Marks’ name. To donate to Feeding America or other charitable organizations mentioned in the “CMT Celebrates Our Heroes” program, visit the program’s charitable organizations link here.

For more information about the MTSU Master of Science in Nursing Program, contact Jenny Sauls, chair of the School of Nursing, at jenny.sauls@mtsu.edu.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)