Newswise — The Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing honored three alumni and two students at the Fourth Annual Alumni Awards Mass and Brunch on Sunday, April 14, 2013, at the University’s Lake Shore Campus.
Donna Marie Wolowicki, CR, BSN ’71, MSN ’75, MBA, received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the most prestigious acknowledgment of Loyola nursing alumni accomplishments. Verna Christian-Garcia, BSN ’61, and Patricia Matuszek Drott, BSN ’63, MS, were honored with the Spirit of Ignatius Award. This is given to graduates who best characterize – Curas Personalis or “Care of the Person.” Matthew Hauman was given the Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student Award and Megan McMenamin received the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing Student Award for their accomplishments as undergraduates. “These alumnae and students were honored for the significant contributions they have made to the school or the profession,” said Vicki Keough, PhD, APRN-BC, ACNP, FAAN, dean and professor, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. “They are role models for generations of nurses to come.”
Donna Marie Wolowicki, CR, BSN ’71, MSN ‘’75, MBA – Distinguished Alumni Award WinnerDonna Marie Wolowicki was recognized for her leadership in health care. Sister Donna has always kept the patient at the focus of care, ensuring the delivery of quality health services. She began her career as an intensive care nurse at Resurrection Medical Center (RMC) in Chicago. She later became a clinical specialist and nurse educator at RMC, and served as a clinical assistant professor in medical surgical nursing for Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Sister Donna also was executive vice president and CEO of RMC from 1989 to 2011. She has served on several boards and volunteered at numerous organizations. Sister Donna continues her leadership and service through participation in mock interviews for graduating student nurses from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
Verna Christian-Garcia, BSN ’61 – Spirit of Ignatius Award WinnerVerna Christian-Garcia was recognized for her support of those who need help in meeting basic human needs as well as for her work with the issues of child abuse, HIV and AIDS and health care for the uninsured. From the beginning of her career with the Virgin Islands government, Christian-Garcia has been driven by Christian principles, a liberal arts curriculum and the cornerstone of the nursing profession: care, compassion, commitment, and competence. The sensibilities she developed as a public health nurse and administrator of a geriatric and special needs facility, combined with decades of progressive, successful management and administrative experiences, provided her with opportunities to make positive and lasting contributions to populations in need. Although retired since 1995, Christian-Garcia continues her commitment to community service through her involvement in several non-profit organizations.
Patricia Matuszek Drott, BSN ’63, MS – Spirit of Ignatius Award WinnerPatricia Matuszek Drott was honored for her service as a nurse to underserved groups for nearly 50 years. Drott worked for more than 16 years as a public health nurse. She also served as the nursing supervisor with the Cook County Department of Public Health and as a visiting nurse with the Evanston Visiting Nurse Association. Drott instilled a passion for public health nursing in her students when she taught for 18 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Nursing, North Park University and the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. For the past 10 years, she has been the Catholic Charities HIV/AIDS Liaison to the Archdiocese of Chicago—a unique role in which she combines her experience in nursing practice and education. Drott is determined to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS, dispel its myths, and work to reduce the stigma and discrimination which still accompany the disease.
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