“Caring Matter and Healing Outcomes”: UIW to Host Annual Sr. Charles Marie Frank Endowed Lecture

The Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions invites the UIW community to attend this year's Sr. Charles Marie Frank Endowed Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 3. The event will take place in the UIW McCombs Center Rosenberg Sky Room and will consist of a research poster viewing at 3 p.m. followed by the lecture at 4 p.m.

This annual event is hosted in honor of Sr. Charles Marie Frank, CCVI, who earned one of the first Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees in the late 1930s. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word founded the first civilian hospital in San Antonio, the Santa Rosa, in 1869 and by the turn of the century had established the Santa Rosa School of Nursing leading to RN certification. As Incarnate Word College's (IWC) Nursing Division director, Sister Charles Marie advocated that both a BSN and a registered nurse RN certification would become the standard for professional nursing. Although her vision was met with resistance, in time she was proven correct, and her legacy lives on today through events such as the lecture named for her.

This year's lecture is titled "Caring Matter and Healing Outcomes" and will be led by guest speaker Kristen Swanson, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean emerita and professor from Seattle University, College of Nursing.

Dr. Swanson has had an illustrious career as an educator, scientist, administrator and consultant. Her scholarship and research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on caring, responses to miscarriage, interventions to promote healing after early pregnancy loss and leadership in healthcare. Dr. Swanson developed the Swanson Theory of Caring, which is used as a model for practice, education and research around the world.

Dr. Swanson's many honors and contributions include selection as a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow, service on the Board of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, chairing the Board of Trustees for the Swedish Health System, induction into the Washington State Nurses Association Hall of Fame, membership on the National Advisory Council for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholars Program and fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing.

Throughout her career she has been deeply committed to patient outcomes and the care and success of students. While dean at Seattle University, she embedded Jesuit values throughout the College of Nursing. During the height of COVID-19, Dr. Swanson played a pivotal leadership role in establishing the Swedish Community COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at Seattle University. Over 75,000 vaccinations were administered as part of the clinic with one-fifth of the volunteers affiliated with Seattle University.

Click here to register to attend her lecture.