VCU School of Nursing mourns the loss of Pam Parsons, Ph.D.
The VCU School of Nursing is sad to announce the passing of Pam Parsons, Ph.D., RN, GNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN, associate dean of practice and community engagement, clinical professor and Judith B. Collins and Joseph M. Teefey Distinguished Professor.
Pam Parsons, Ph.D, was an educator, scholar, mentor, administrator, advocate, and friend in the VCU School of Nursing community for 10 years. A nationally-recognized expert on models of care targeting chronically ill older adults and vulnerable populations, she was instrumental as the architect of the school’s community engagement program, most notably through the establishment and growth of the Richmond Health and Wellness Program.
Parsons was recognized with numerous awards and accolades including the Mary C. Payne Award for Exemplary Advocacy, Leadership, and Service On Behalf of Older Adults by the Senior Connections Capital Area Agency on Aging in 2016, as a National Academies of Practice (NAP) Nursing Academy Distinguished Practitioner & Fellow in 2015, with the VCU Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry, and Innovation Outstanding Faculty Contribution in 2017, as a Richmond Memorial Health Foundation Equity and Health Fellow in 2017, with the Health Quality Innovator of the Year Award for Patient Centered Care in 2018, with the VCU Currents of Change Award in 2018 and as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2020. She served as co-chair of the VCU Health Equity Strategic Planning Steering Committee and as co-leader of the VCU iCubed Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan Core.
“Dr. Parsons had an immeasurable impact on the School of Nursing, VCU, the central Virginia community and the nursing profession,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing. “Through education, service and leadership, she inspired countless students and colleagues to pursue community health work and will be remembered for her tireless and unwavering commitment to the care of vulnerable communities, her incredible work ethic and her special talent of organizing every available resource to improve care for the community. Her legacy will serve as a model for all of us and the impact we can make when we invest our talents and passions in our work.”
Categories Faculty and Staff, News