Johns Hopkins School of Nursing (JHSON) Dean Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been named a Woman of Achievement for 2021 by Business and Professional Women of Maryland (BPW/MD), an association that promotes equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education, and information. Szanton was recognized at an awards ceremony on Oct. 21 during National Business Women’s Week.
The theme of the award—“Putting Equality to Work” for Health Justice—resonates with Szanton’s career as JHSON’s Patricia M. Davidson Health Equity and Social Justice Endowed Professor and her decades long work in helping homebound, low-income older adults improve their function and health.
“It was a highlight to have been recognized by the BPW/MD and to have joined their celebration honoring two other local woman who have had great successes,” says Szanton.
Szanton, who was appointed fifth dean of JHSON in August of 2021, is a prolific health equity researcher. She is best known for co-developing the visionary CAPABLE program after years spent providing house calls predominately to low income, African American older adults in West Baltimore. The program, which combines handyman services with nursing and occupational therapy to improve mobility, reduce disability, and decrease healthcare costs, has been researched and scaled to 45 places in 23 States, and is currently expanding through several policy mechanisms as Medicare Advantage and Value Based care.
Szanton also has a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A prolific health equity researcher, she has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and received many awards for her work.
A Johns Hopkins alumna, Szanton earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from JHSON, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland, and a PhD from Johns Hopkins. She joined JHSON in 2007 as an assistant professor, was promoted to full professor in 2017 and became an endowed professor in 2018.
“After the devastating professional and personal losses suffered by thousands of women as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, it is critical to recognize women’s contributions to America’s workplaces and economy,” said BPW/MD president, Rebecca Wise in the organization’s press release. “We hope that highlighting women’s achievements will remind policymakers and the public at large that women are a cornerstone of the American workforce and absolutely central to all pandemic recovery efforts.”
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Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research, and practice. In U.S. News & World Report rankings, the school is No. 1 nationally for its master’s programs, and No. 2 for DNP programs and its online MSN Healthcare Organizational Leadership options. JHSON is ranked No. 1 for total NIH funding among schools of nursing for fiscal year 2020. In addition, the school is ranked by QS World University as the No. 3 nursing school in the world, No.1 by College Choice for its master’s program, and No. 1 by NursingSchoolHub.com for its DNP program. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu.
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