Colleen Simonelli receives BC Community Service Award

M. Colleen Simonelli of the Connell School of Nursing is the recipient of the 2024 Boston College Community Service Award in recognition for her tireless efforts to help establish a new nursing school at St. John’s College, a Jesuit higher education institution in Belize.

Organized by the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, the annual award honors the outstanding contributions of a Boston College employee whose actions exemplify the Jesuit spirit of service to others. Simonelli, a Connell School professor of the practice and associate dean for student services, was lauded for her years of leadership and dedication to nursing and steadfast commitment to the partnership between CSON and St. John’s.

Belize is a nation of 400,000 people, served by an estimated 1,200 nurses. Many residents live in remote, impoverished areas with little or no access to quality health care. St. John’s President Mirtha “Alice” Peralta reached out to Boston College President William P. Leahy, S.J., and the Connell School of Nursing for assistance in addressing the nursing shortage by helping to establish a nursing program at St. John’s.

Simonelli offered consultation and advice on what would be needed to get a program up and running. She and CSON colleague Donna Cullinan (a past Community Service Award winner who nominated Simonelli for this year’s award) became trusted advisors and enthusiastic partners, providing Peralta with critical guidance, as well instructional and logistical support.

Simonelli and Cullinan traveled to Belize in 2022 to assess nursing practices at area hospitals. They returned to Belize in 2023, with BC nursing students, to analyze the existing pipeline for nurses and develop a list of supplies and equipment needed for the new school.

The new St. John’s College nursing school was launched in October, 2023, with an inaugural class of 63 students.

Simonelli spearheaded a plan for four nurses in Belize to pursue master’s degrees in nursing at BC. These nurses, who graduated last month, will be faculty instructors in the new school. Simonelli has committed to providing them with support as they embark on their leadership and teaching positions.

“In accepting the call to action to help launch the nursing program, Colleen truly embodied the Jesuit mission of being men and women for others,” said Office of Governmental and Community Affairs Vice President Thomas Keady at the May 29 recognition ceremony. He added that Simonelli is a “consummate caring advocate for students, patients, and the nursing profession” and that the new nursing program “will have lasting benefits for St. John’s College and Belize.”

A maternal child health nurse for more than 30 years, Simonelli’s research focuses primarily on optimizing health for women and their infants. She has taught childbearing theory and clinical courses; Comparative Health Care Systems; Global Health Care: Meeting Challenges and Making Connections; and Actualizing the Role of the Professional Nurse. She has been honored with awards from the Connell School, including the Excellence in Undergraduate Clinical Teaching Award and the Undergraduate Teaching and Mentorship Award.