By
Earlier this month, the Connell School of Nursing welcomed back one of its most accomplished alumni, as American Nurses Association President Karen Daley MA ’04, PhD ’10 came to campus to meet with faculty and students, and speak on the progress and challenges facing nurses as the American health care delivery system is transformed.
Daley’s April 10 visit was part of the Connell School’s Pinnacle Lecture Series, which brings a widely recognized nursing leader to the University to address issues at the forefront of health care today. As ANA head, Daley leads an organization representing the nation’s 3.1 million registered nurses.
Prior to her appointment at ANA, Daley worked as a staff nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for more than 20 years until a needlestick injury forced her to give up clinical nursing practice. She became an advocate for needlestick injury prevention and was among those invited to the Oval Office to witness President Bill Clinton sign the “Needlestick Safety Prevention Act” into law in 2000.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Daley has been honored as a Living Legend by Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses and was recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in health care by Modern Healthcare.
In addition to her lecture, titled “Leading the Charge: A Nursing Agenda in the Age of Health Care Reform,” Daley visited with CSON faculty members and had lunch with undergraduates in the KILN (Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing) program and graduate students who are Robert Wood Johnson fellows.
She also took part in classroom discussion for the Advanced Practice Nursing within Complex Health Care Systems course taught by Associate Professor Pamela Grace.