The 14th annual McGinley-Rice Symposium looks with compassion into the face of the person who is incarcerated. Incarceration, the theme of McGinley-Rice 14, changes the life of the person who is imprisoned, his/her family, and the community. For many, incarceration does not emancipate or rehabilitate, but rather punishes and robs the person of human dignity and self-worth. Associated with age, race, unemployment, loss, homelessness, mental illness, school dropout and addiction, the person who is in prison loses contact with friends, family, and community support. Incarceration is not the end of the road. It is possible to rebuild one’s life and start over. The saddest outcome of incarceration is suicide.

2023 Call for Abstracts

  • Abstracts are due by midnight on Sunday, April 30, 2023.
  • The lead author/presenter will be notified of the decision of the Review Committee by Thursday, May 11, 2023, and must confirm participation in the Symposium by Thursday, May 18, 2023.
  • All abstracts will be blinded for peer review.
  • All presenter's names and abstract titles will be included in the symposium program booklet and website.
  • All presenters are required to be paid registrants of the conference.
  • Continuing education contact hours will be available.

Duquesne University School of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.


The McGinley-Rice Symposium on Social Justice for Vulnerable Populations is a unique scholarly forum for nurses and other health care professionals to address issues of social justice in health care. Organized annually by the holder of the Jacques Laval Endowed Chair in Justice for Vulnerable Populations at the Duquesne University School of Nursing, the McGinley-Rice Symposium is an expression of the mission of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, the Catholic missionary order that founded Duquesne and assists needy and marginalized persons throughout the world.

2023 Invites Papers and Posters that:

1) Explore the social justice related to the health and well-being of the incarcerated; 2) Present research data; 3) Discuss clinical and/or programmatic initiatives; 4) Identify and discuss the social and cultural issues of incarceration; and, 5) Discuss philosophical and/or theoretical issues related to the health and human consequences incarceration.

Questions

For questions, assistance and further information, please contact us

Sr. Rosemary Donley, PhD, APRN, FAAN

Jacques Laval Endowed Chair in Justice for Vulnerable Populations

Photo of Sister Rosemary Donley

Rachel Means

Coordinator for Research Administration and Conference Planning