ALUMNI

Behavioral health advocate wins Distinguished Achievement Award

The URI College of Nursing honored the career of an alumna who has made a tremendous impact on health care with one of the College’s highest honors during the Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony.

Dean Barbara Wolfe (left) presented Deborah O’Brien with the College’s Distinguished Achievement Award.

Deborah M. O’Brien, BS, RN, MPA is President and Chief Operating Officer of Community Resources for Justice, a non-profit organization in Boston dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk individuals through social justice. She is the former President and Chief Operating Officer of The Providence Center.

O’Brien began working in health care as a staff nurse at Rhode Island Hospital, and started in the behavioral health field at South Shore Mental Health Center in Charlestown, R.I. There, she went on to hold management roles in various departments, including psychiatric services, rehab services and the emergency and assessment service team. During her full-time employment at South Shore, she also worked part-time for Hospice care.

O’Brien has also been involved with a number of boards and professional affiliations, including URI’s Nursing Advisory Council and About Families, Inc. She has both a nursing degree and a master’s degree in public administration from URI.

ALUMNI

Representing the College in the community

URI College of Nursing graduate Barbara Patterson

College alum named editor of NLN journal

Alumnus Barbara Patterson has expanded her role in nursing education, having recently been named editor of the National League for Nursing Journal, Nursing Education Perspectives.

Patterson, a graduate of the College’s Ph.D. in nursing science program, takes the helm of the Washington D.C.-based National League of Nursing journal after having served as editor of the research brief section of the NLN journal or about five years.

In her new position, Patterson will be better able to promote NLN’s mission to advance excellence in nursing education and research.