Connell School honors graduate Marsha Maurer
Marsha Maurer, former senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), is this year's recipient of the Dean Rita P. Kelleher Award, presented annually by the Boston College Connell School of Nursing to a graduate who embodies the BC nurse.
Named after the school's first faculty member and former dean, the Kelleher Award recognizes a Connell School graduate who is an accomplished nurse leader, an ethically aware scientist, and an inquisitive clinician. Maurer earned a master’s degree from CSON in 1990. Connell School Dean Katherine Gregory presented Maurer with the Kelleher Award at a campus event held during Reunion Weekend earlier this month.
2023 Kelleher Award winner Marsha Maurer, flanked by Connell School of Nursing Dean Katherine Gregory (left) and CSON graduate Kim Sulmonte, vice president of organizational planning at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. (Photo by Julie Lippert)
Maurer began her nursing career at what was then called the Beth Israel Hospital, caring for patients with HIV and addiction at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. She later worked for Cambridge Health Alliance, serving as a nurse manager and then a senior director. For the last 15 years, she was the chief nursing officer at BIDMC, where she led nurses through such events as the Boston Marathon bombings and COVID.
She has been committed to helping marginalized groups, whether they be patients seeking care and compassion or people underrepresented in the nursing workforce seeking access into the health care profession.
Maurer was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2022 and a Fellow of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership in 2019. She is a recipient of BIDMC’s Robert M. Melzer Leadership Award, and she was honored by BIDMC’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee for outstanding contributions to improving the health and well-being of members of the LGBTQ community.
After the Kelleher Award presentation, Maurer joined BIDMC Vice President of Organizational Planning Kim Sulmonte ’88 for a conversation and audience Q&A.
Some of the topics included AI's impact on nursing and health and the importance of having nurses involved in all aspects of health care decision-making. Said Maurer: "Sometimes nurses need to raise their voice and sharpen their elbows to make sure they get a seat at the table."