President & CEO of Pew Cheritable Trusts to Speak at U.Va. Nursing School

Rebecca Rimel headshot

Rebecca Rimel

April 5, 2007 -- Rebecca W. Rimel, President and CEO of The Pew Charitable Trusts, will deliver the University of Virginia School of Nursing’s annual Catherine Strader McGehee Memorial Lecture on April 25.  Rimel, a graduate of the nursing school and former faculty member of the U.Va. Department of Neurosurgery, will present Prescription for Success – Nursing’s Preparation for Leadership in McLeod Hall Auditorium at noon with reception to follow.  The lecture is open to the public and parking is available (for a fee) in the hospital visitor’s garage. 

The McGehee Lecture was endowed in 2002 in memory of Catherine Strader McGehee by the School of Nursing BSN Class of 1975 and her family and friends.  She had received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the School and was pursuing her PhD when she died in 1999 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.  Distinguished speakers are selected for the lecture series who demonstrate McGehee’s commitment to excellence in nursing education and practice, her demonstration of exemplary leadership, and her service to the community at large.

Nursing students, clinicians and faculty are well-positioned to become leaders not only at the point of care in our local communities, but globally by influencing public policy, according to Rebecca Rimel. Her presentation will shed light on a career that has had a measurable impact on hotly contested issues such as global climate change, foster care, early education, public health preparedness, election reform, student debt, retirement security and more. She will explain how her UVA nursing education and clinical experience helped her become an executive the Wall Street Journal describes as "formidable." In addition to the general public, students with majors inside and outside of health care are invited to take advantage of this opportunity to receive practical tips and lessons about management, public policy and social investments that deliver results.

Rebecca Rimel joined The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1983 and has served as President and CEO since 1994.  Prior to joining The Pew Charitable Trusts, she was assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia Hospital and served as head nurse of the medical center's emergency department. She received her Bachelor of Science, with distinction, from the University of Virginia School of Nursing in 1973 and earned a Master of Business Administration from James Madison University in 1983.

Pew is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Based in Philadelphia, with an office in Washington, D.C., Pew applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life and is an independent nonprofit organization with assets of $5.2 billion. Under Rimel's leadership, Pew partners with a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations and concerned citizens who share a commitment to fact-base solutions and goal-driven investments to improve society. 

The University of Virginia School of Nursing stands among the top 5% in the nation, ranked 19th by US News & World Report; two of its graduate programs are currently listed in the U.S. News Top Ten.  With a vigorous research program that includes studies in rural health care and disparities, oncology, gerontology, complementary therapies and nursing history, the School is ranked 22nd in National Institutes of Health nursing research funding and first in the country for doctoral-student authored NRSA Fellowships.  The School has implemented new programs and strategies to address the national nursing shortage and the concurrent need for more highly educated nurses to deliver increasingly complex health care.

For more information about the U.Va. School of Nursing and its programs, visit www.nursing.virginia.edu.




Media Contact