16th Annual McGinley-Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations

October 23, 2025 - Duquesne University's Power Center

Registration

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.

Ken Gormley
University President and Professor of Law
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.

Bullying through the Lifespan
Dr. Laura Crothers, DEd, NCSP
Professor, Duquesne University School of Education, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Moderator
Ruth Irwin, PhD, RN, CSN
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.

Moderator
Rebecca Kronk, PhD, MSN, CRNP, FAAN, CNE, ANEF
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
Mary Esther Van Shura, EdD
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

Moderator
Kathleen Sekula, PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAFS, FAAN
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.

Submit an Abstract

  • The abstract word limit is 250 words.
  • Abstracts must be submitted online by Monday, August 18, 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.

Sr. Rosemary Donley
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

Photo of Sister Rosemary Donley

Jill Speer

Assistant to the Dean

School of Nursing