Over her 50-year nursing career, she has contributed to advancing the nursing profession and increasing its impact and influence on policies to improve national and global health care.
Pamela Cipriano will receive an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) the week of May 12. UMB’s honorary degree recipients are being featured in “The Elm” leading up to this year’s graduation ceremonies.
About Dr. Cipriano
Pamela Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is nationally and internationally recognized for her contributions to advancing the nursing profession and increasing its impact and influence on policies to improve national and global health care.
During Dr. Cipriano’s 50-year nursing career, she also has led efforts to boost nurses’ social impact and protect the health, safety, and well-being of the nursing community.
She is currently Professor Emerita of Nursing Practice at the University of Virginia School of Nursing (UVa), where she served as dean and the Sadie Heath Cabannis Professor of Nursing from 2019 to 2022. She was a research associate professor there from 2010 to 2019 and has held faculty appointments at UVa since 2000.
From 2000 to 2009, she served as the chief nursing and chief clinical officer for the University of Virginia Health System with responsibility for clinical operations throughout the hospital, centers, and clinics, overseeing more than 3,000 employees. Earlier in her career, she was administrator for clinical services and chief operating officer at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dr. Cipriano’s national and international service to the profession is far-reaching. As the 29th president of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) from 2021 to 2025 and as first vice president for the four years prior, she led global policy efforts and advocated for nurse well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. A federation of more than 140 national nurses’ associations, ICN represents over 30 million nurses worldwide and seeks to ensure quality care for all.
From 2014 to 2018, Dr. Cipriano served two terms as president of the American Nurses Association (ANA), which represents the nation’s 5 million registered nurses through its constituent and state nurses’ associations and organizational affiliates. During her tenure, ANA established its “Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation” initiative to improve nurse well-being. Prior to being appointed president, she served as the inaugural editor-in-chief of American Nurse Today, ANA’s journal, from 2006 to 2014. She also received ANA’s Distinguished Member Award in 2008 and 2011.
Dr. Cipriano currently serves as co-chair of the Steering Committee for the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience, leading efforts to reduce burnout and improve the well-being of the workforce. She has been instrumental in studying the safety of technologies to improve workflow and efficiency of care as well as advocating for nurse-led design and testing of technologies that support nursing care.
On the international level, she is co-chair of the Universal Health Coverage Steering Committee (UHC2030), a global platform co-hosted by the World Health Organization, World Bank, and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that allows multiple stakeholders to connect to advance universal health coverage and strengthen health systems worldwide.
She also served as public-sector adviser as part of the U.S. delegation to the 69th World Health Assembly in 2016 in Geneva.
Among her many honors and awards for leadership and contributions to the profession, she was a Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence at the Institute for Medicine in 2010-2011. She was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1991, received its Healthcare Leader Award in 2018, and, in 2023, was named a Living Legend, the highest designation of the academy. She received top alumni honors at both the University of Washington (2022) and University of Utah (2017). She also has received Lifetime Achievement awards from the DAISY Foundation and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Health magazine four years in a row.
In 2025, Dr. Cipriano received the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s prestigious HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein Award, which recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to advancing international health care and demonstrated exceptional dedication to the profession of nursing.
She holds a PhD in executive nursing administration from the University of Utah College of Nursing, a Master of Nursing from the University of Washington, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from American University, and a Diploma in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She is certified in advanced nursing executive administration.
Kudos from UMB
“Through her record of service to national and international nursing and to health care institutions and organizations, Dr. Cipriano has raised the voice, visibility, and stature of nurses nationally and globally to foster changes in health care delivery, support policy development, and improve care through safe and supportive environments that foster the well-being of a global workforce of more than 28 million nurses.
“She has articulated a new understanding of the ‘economic power of nursing care,’ highlighting that investing in nursing leads to healthier societies and economic and social prosperity. She has utilized her leadership positions to call upon the international community to optimize and increase investments in education, employment, and retention of the nursing workforce to achieve universal health care.
“She has stood for excellence in nursing education, been a passionate advocate for the well-being of the health care profession, and embarked on bold initiatives to improve health care on a global basis.”
— Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD, NNP, FNAP, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing
Dr. Cipriano Says …
What was your reaction to learning that you’d be receiving an honorary degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore? |
“I had a call scheduled with Dean Ogbolu for some “news” but wasn’t sure what I would hear. On our Zoom call, she was smiling and shared the amazing news that I would be receiving the Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the University. I was so surprised and, of course, very grateful for this honor. I also was very humbled and appreciated that she was honoring me with her personal recognition of my career contributions.”
What is your greatest accomplishment in the nursing field?
"I’ve always seen my role as a fierce advocate and champion for nurses whether that was supporting their ability to deliver excellent care, or to elevate the voice and visibility of nursing to influence policy makers and others who hold power in health care organizations. I have leveraged my leadership roles as a health care executive and leader in nursing organizations domestically and internationally to lift up nursing in the eyes of the public and key policy arenas.
“In the spirit of ‘never letting a good crisis go to waste,’ I was able to influence and enhance public discourse during the Ebola epidemic, support legislative and regulatory action to embed a robust menu of essential health benefits in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the U.S., call attention to numerous issues of gender inequality, bring a social justice and equity approach to the global commitment of achieving health for all, and campaign vigorously for the protection of front line caregivers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. My vigilance to elevate nursing has been marked by linking the advancement of the profession to improved health security, quality of care, economic growth, and better health outcomes that reflect nursing’s impact on transforming health delivery around the world. To that end, I have consistently called for recognizing the economic value of nursing with greater investment in nurses and nursing at all levels.”
What was your most important lesson learned from your term as president/first vice president of the International Council of Nurses during the global pandemic?
“Of the many learnings from the pandemic, the most important lesson, beyond how to avoid tragic loss of life in the future, was how to strengthen health systems to ensure they did not fail their health care workers in crisis situations. Physical and emotional fatigue, moral distress associated with experiencing the rapid and overwhelming volume of deaths, and fear that one might jeopardize the lives of their loved ones at home ignited an urgent need to value, protect, and respect nurses and all health care workers who were risking their lives to care for others.
“Erosion of well-being and rising levels of burnout only amplified the state of already fragile health care workers being taken for granted in health systems. ICN addressed the recovery and rebuilding of the workforce, including campaigning for greater mental health support. This approach paralleled my work with the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. Inherent in these lessons was also the fact that around the globe, staff were all suffering from the same maltreatment and need for immediate as well as long-term support.”
What advice would you give to the graduates of UMB’s Class of 2026?
“Use your knowledge for good. Practice advocacy for those without a voice, and give back through some type of community service, civic engagement, or professional volunteerism. It has benefits for your own well-being.
“Take pride in your choice to pursue a college degree — your education and personal growth experiences have helped mold you, and their impact may reveal themselves when you least expect it. Appreciate and learn from others who have different viewpoints and life experiences, an essential part of lifelong learning.
“Above all, remain optimistic: Beyond today’s daunting job market lie many opportunities.”