Maryalice Morro, BSN ’83 awarded 2009 Medallion for Distinguished Leadership in Administration of Nursing and Health Care Services

Villanova, PA, April 18, 2009 — Maryalice Morro, BSN ’83 was awarded the 2009 College of Nursing Medallion for Distinguished Leadership in Administration of Nursing and Health Care Services at the 20th Annual Mass and Alumni Awards Ceremony April 18th in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. The Medallion is the College’s highest award, bestowed for distinguished achievement. In the photo, she is joined by Dean Fitzpatrick and University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. 

Her citation follows:
Captain Maryalice Morro of the United State Navy Nurse Corps is a uniquely talented naval officer and nurse. She embodies the values of Villanova University: Veritas, Unitas, Caritas and the core values of the Navy: Honor, Courage and Commitment. They are seamlessly woven into the fabric of her professional life and her humanity.

Maryalice, a 1983 graduate of the College’s bachelor’s program is the first nurse to be appointed to serve as the commanding officer of Naval Hospital Pensacola.

Following her graduation from Villanova and Officer Candidate School, she began her nursing career at Naval Hospital Bethesda where she was quickly identified for her leadership and management potential. Her interest and expertise in ambulatory care, health promotion and emergency nursing care were significant in the planning and implementation of safety programs for the Brigade of Midshipman at Annapolis and wellness programs at the Naval Hospital in Charleston, and for medical support for NASA in Spain and a Royal Air Force training unit at Mt. Kilimanjaro. Maryalice was the division officer for the surgical wards aboard the USNS Comfort during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and special assistant to the Commander for Homeland Security in Washington. These are just a few examples of her meritorious service and career.

Maryalice advanced her education through a Johnson and Johnson Wharton Fellowship for Nurse Executives and earned her master’s in nursing in community health management from Catholic University of America and a master’s degree in national resource strategy from the National Defense University in Washington. She also served as a legislative intern on Capitol Hill.

Examples of her skill and knowledge include being among the first responders to the disaster at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, her leadership as the senior nurse executive for patient services at Naval Hospital Yokosuka in Japan, and her experience as the executive officer at Naval Hospital Lemoore in California. Maryalice’s leadership skills are epitomized in her current position at Pensacola where, after 182 years and 71 former commanding officers, she is the first Navy Nurse Corps officer to lead that institution of over 2000 staff and a $134 million annual budget.

Maryalice is a member of a large and loyal family of Villanovans which include her sister Kate and brother Bob who are here on campus, and her sister Meg-- a Villanova nursing alumna who is a nurse clinician at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia-- and her sister Susan who is a graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

For her pursuit of quality health care for those she serves and her nursing acumen, the College of Nursing is privileged to award its 2009 Medallion for Distinguished Leadership in Administration of Nursing and Health Care Services to Captain Maryalice Morro, United States Navy.