[1] She also served as deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health, becoming the first nurse, female, or African-American to hold that position.
[5][7] Following graduation, she took her first jobs as a substitute teacher in Natchez[5] and as the Nurse Director of Dillard University's Student Health Center.
[8][9] In 1979 she was appointed by Patricia Roberts Harris, secretary of Health and Human Services, to the position of deputy director.
[5] During her time at the NIMH, according to her obituary in Nursing Outlook, she "played a major role in redirecting professional training to meet the needs of the unserved and underserved, a policy focus that continues to this day.
Dumas was the first Black female dean at Michigan, but left the position when she was appointed Vice Provost for Health and the Lucille Cole Professor of Nursing.
[13] Her published work includes "The Effect of Nursing Care on Postoperative Vomiting"[14] and "Dilemmas of Black Females in Leadership.