 Donna E. Shalala |
Donna E. Shalala, PhD, president of the University of Miami and former secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), will receive an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address at UMass Chan’s 38th Commencement exercises on Sunday, June 5. Founding UMMS faculty member Arthur Pappas, MD, professor of orthopedics & physical rehabilitation and pediatrics, and Autism Speaks founders Suzanne and Bob Wright will also receive honorary degrees.
A well-known figure with more than 25 years of experience as a scholar, teacher and administrator, Dr. Shalala was appointed secretary of HHS by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and led the agency for eight years, becoming the longest-serving HHS secretary in U.S. history. Among her many accomplishments as HHS secretary, she made health insurance available to millions of children through the approval of all State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), raised child immunization rates to the highest levels in history, led major reforms of the FDA’s drug approval process and food safety system, and revitalized the National Institutes of Health. At the end of her tenure as secretary, the Washington Post described her as “one of the most successful government managers of modern times.”
Shalala recently chaired the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, which last October issued a comprehensive report on the challenges facing the nursing profession and opportunities to build upon nursing-based solutions to improve quality and transform the way Americans receive health care. The well-received report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, recommended enhancing the scope of practice for nurses; fostering interprofessional collaboration in which nurses are full partners in the health care team; and improving and expanding nursing education, particularly master’s and doctoral programs.
Shalala became professor of political science and president of the University of Miami in 2001; since then, the university has solidified its position among top U.S. research universities and continues to rise in national rankings. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Shalala received her undergraduate degree in history from Western College for Women. She received her PhD from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
UMW will award Shalala an honorary degree at Commencement in recognition of her outstanding stewardship of the Health and Human Services secretariat and her steadfast commitment to the health and well-being of the nation’s children.
 Dr. Arthur Pappas |
UMW will also award an honorary degree to Dr. Pappas, in recognition of his exemplary leadership in the Worcester community and years of dedication to sports medicine, along with the numerous philanthropic contributions to the Medical School.
Throughout his career, Pappas has been a driving force in the success of the clinical system and the Medical School. Pappas was the founding chair of the Department of Orthopedics and is fondly recalled as “the first UMMS surgeon,” having admitted and operated on the first patient in 1976 at what was then the newly constructed UMass Hospital.
