Sheila A. Ryan, recently retired dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, will be honored with the "Valued Colleague Award" presented by the Susan B. Anthony University Center at the University.
She will receive the award during the fifth annual Elizabeth Cady Stanton/Susan B. Anthony Conversations on Contemporary Issues Thursday, Oct. 28, at the Memorial Art Gallery.
The Center has provided programs, resources, and services about careers, education, public policy, health care, business, and athletics for women since 1995. Its "Valued Colleague Award" is given each year to a woman or a man who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the work of the Center.
Ryan, professor of nursing on leave, joined the University's School of Nursing in 1986, succeeding founding dean Loretta Ford. She was responsible for the initiation of the School's Community Nursing Center and oversaw renovations of Helen Wood Hall that included a state-of-the-art teaching-learning center. Ryan is founding chair of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute on Women's Health sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony Center. The Institute brings together leading health professionals, advocates, researchers, and policy specialists to address issues relating to women's health care, such as access, options, and ethics.
Ryan was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine in 1992 and served on several of its committees, including the Primary Care Workforce Committee. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, served on the Health Professionals Education Commission for the 21st Century for the Pew Charitable Trust, and is a former executive president of the National League for Nursing.
The Stanton/Anthony Conversations are organized annually by the Susan B. Anthony University Center to provide a forum for discussion of issues affecting women. This year's discussion, on "Women's Work in the 21st Century Economy," will begin at 6:30 p.m. For additional information and reservations, call (585) 275-8799.