The McGinley-Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations is a unique scholarly
forum for nurses and other health care professionals to address issues of 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.
Symposium Information
Program Schedule
8:00 a.m
Registration Shepperson Suite
8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Welcome Conference Rooms B and C
Sr. Rosemary Donley, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN Professor & Jacques Laval Chair for Vulnerable Populations Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mary Ellen Glasgow, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN Dean & Professor, School of Nursing Vice Provost for Research, Office of Research and Innovation Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rev. James P. McCloskey, C.S.Sp., Ph.D. Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Fr. Raymond French, C.S.Sp. Vice President for Mission and Identity Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Keynote Address Conference Rooms B and C
Protecting Our Children: The Path Forward Angela Karakachian, PhD,RN Associate Professor, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
10:15 - 11:15 a.m.
Plenary Panel Conference Rooms B and C
Observing Children for Abuse Jennifer Woodring RN Director of the Emergency Department UPMC Childrens. Hospital, Pittsburgh Pa.
Betheny Hellem Council Member at Large Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pa.
11:20 - 12:30 p.m.
Plenary Panel Conference Room A
How Safe is Grandma? Brendon Henley, Deputy Director, Allegheny County Area of Aging Pittsburgh, Pa.
Como Estas Usted? Monica Ruiz Casa San Jose Pittsburgh Pa.
Mental Health Professionals Working with Trauma and Experiencing Vicarious Trauma Sarah E. Dalton, PhD Associate Professor, Counselor Education Department, Counselor Education Department,
College of Professional Counseling, The Chicago School Chicago, Il.
Moderator: TBA
12:40 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch and the Presentation of the Eileen Zungolo Spirit of Service Award Conference Rooms B and C Posters will be available for viewing during this time in the Shepperson Suite
Prayer
Mary Ellen Glasgow, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, ANEF, FAAN Dean & Professor, School of Nursing Vice Provost for Research, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Ken Gormley, JD President Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Jack McGinley, Esq
1:45 - 2:45 p.m.
Keynote Address Conference Room A
Pennsylvania's Most Vulnerable Children in an Era of Diversity, Data and Denialism Rachel Berger, MD
2:50 - 3:50 p.m.
Keynote Address Conference Rooms B and C
Advocating for Children who are Abused Michelle Clayton Director of the Child Advocacy program, UPMC
3:55 - 4:55 p.m.
Breakout Sessions Conference Rooms A, B, or C Please choose one of the sessions below
Session 1a: TBA
Session 1b: TBA
Session 1c: TBA
4:55 - 5:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Sr. Rosemary Donley, S.C., PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN Professor & Jacques Laval Chair for Vulnerable Populations Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Benediction
Fr. William Christy, C.S.Sp. University Chaplain & Director of Spiritan Campus Ministry Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa.
5:00 p.m
Reception and Poster Session
Call for Abstracts
The 16th annual McGinley-Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations will
explore "The Face of the Person Who Has Been Abused," October 23, 2025, at Duquesne
University's Power Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Abstracts must be submitted online by Friday, August 1, 2025.
The lead author/presenter will be notified of the decision of the Review Committee
by on a rolling basis, and must confirm participation in the Symposium.
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.
Contact hours will be available for nursing, social work and psychology.
For questions, assistance and further information, email Jill%20Speer.
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.
Contact Hours
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.
Symposium Fees
The 2025 McGinley-Rice Symposium is a one-day event which includes meals as part of
the fees: Thursday (breakfast, lunch and a reception). The Symposium is free to current
Duquesne University students, faculty, staff and those with religious affiliation.
For those outside of these designations, the following fees apply:
Days
Amount
Thursday
$175
Duquesne Alumni
$175
Current Duquesne University students, faculty, staff
No Charge
Sponsors
We thank the following sponsors:
UPMC / UPMC Health Plan
Dementia Society of America
McAuley Ministries / Trinity Health
Duquesne University Office of Civic Engagement and External Relations
Epsilon Phi Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International
Jewish Healthcare Foundation / Dementia Friends Pennsylvania
Previous Symposium Topics
Each year, the Symposium looks into the face of a specific vulnerable population and
views the world through their eyes, including:
The Face of the Person Who is Incarcerated
The Face of the Person Who is Socially Isolated
The Face of the Person Who is Poor
The Face of the Person Who is Hungry
The Face of the Person Who is Homeless
The Face of the Person Who has been Trafficked
The Face of the Person with an Addiction
The Face of the Person with a Disability
The Face of the Person Who Has Experienced Violence
The Face of Mental Illness
The Face of the Child
The Face of the Veteran
The Face of the Immigrant
The Face of the Elderly
The Face of the Person with Dementia
If you would like to learn more about a past symposium, please contact Sr. Rosemary
Donley.
The Laval Chair
Addressing injustice is a key aspect of Duquesne University's heritage and character.
The Jacques Laval Endowed Chair in Justice for Vulnerable Populations underscores
our commitment to provide a nursing education for the mind, heart and spirit.
Duquesne's commitment to helping those most in need is advanced through the efforts
of Sister Rosemary Donley. The faculty of the School of Nursing has identified health
care disparities among the elderly, poor, disadvantaged and other marginalized groups
as its research priority.
Reflecting on the mission of the Laval chair, Sister Donley says that its intent is
to ground nursing actions in justice and to assist others to work in the community
and at the policy level to lessen the impact of injustice. She believes that nurses
have phenomenal opportunities to express the works of justice by: increasing the level
of understanding of the justice tradition and its particular application to vulnerable
populations; acting to decrease vulnerability; and working collectively to identify
and change the structures which perpetuate injustice.
Sister Donley is a leader in nursing education, research and public service whose
career has been devoted to providing better care for the underprivileged and the chronically
ill.
A native Pittsburgher and member of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, she has
taught health policy at The Catholic University of America for more than three decades,
and has served as that institution's executive vice president, chief operating officer
and dean of nursing. In addition, she was instrumental in developing and teaching
community health nursing graduate courses, which focused on the care of vulnerable
populations, including inner city residents, immigrants and refugees.
As holder of the Laval Chair, Sister Donley teaches and conducts research related
to health care access and quality for underserved persons and communities. Her responsibilities
include developing community partnerships, and organizing academic colloquia such
as the annual McGinley-Rice Symposium.
The Laval Chair is endowed through a bequest from the estate of the late Thomas F.
Bogovich, a 1953 Duquesne business graduate and retired Penn Hills funeral director.
It is named for a 17th-century Spiritan priest and physician who dedicated himself
to caring for freed slaves on the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
Born in France in 1803, the Rev. Jacques Laval, C.S.Sp., was a physician for many
years before joining the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, the order that founded Duquesne
University. As a Spiritan priest he volunteered for a missionary venture to the Indian
Ocean island of Mauritius, where he dedicated himself to helping the island's newly
freed African slaves.
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
