16th Annual McGinley-Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations
October 23, 2025 - Duquesne University's Power Center
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 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.
Symposium Information
Program Schedule
The full conference program for The 16th Annual McGinley-Rice Symposium will be announced
soon, featuring informative keynotes, panel discussions, and poster sessions.
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
$170
Duquesne Alumni
$150
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 social 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 social 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 social 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
