PITTSBURGH – A 17-year passion for promoting exercise, nutrition and weight loss led Ruth Foreman, DNP, to pursue an education in nursing.
At Carlow University, the assistant professor in the Graduate Nurse Practitioners program uses her multi-degree education to advance the academic aspect of nursing.
Foreman was recognized this month as a 2021 honoree of Pittsburgh Magazine’s Excellence in Nursing in the category of Academics.
Each year, a Pittsburgh Magazine panel of judges recognizes nurses, “the unsung heroes of the healthcare field.” Recognition is given to professionals who best embody what it means to be an essential worker.
“It (nomination) was a very pleasant surprise. It is really a huge honor,” Foreman said. “I really enjoy teaching, I enjoy the scholarship aspect of it, I enjoy working with students.”
At Carlow, Foreman instructs future nurse practitioners in taking nursing to a higher level.
“What makes nurse practitioners special is the skill set of nursing and patient care (such as talking to people and relating to others) combined with the higher academic level of diagnosis and management of diseases,” Foreman said. “And I think that is really important that you have that in combination to help get the best outcomes possible for our patients.”
The honoree also writes peer review articles, and precepts students at the Campus Laboratory School, ensuring students meet certain education objectives.
She has been published in the Journal of Nurse Practitioners, Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice, Advance for NPs and PAs, and the Clinical Scholar Review. She is currently preparing papers on Cochlear implants, and anxiety and student nurses.
Foreman earned BSN, MSN and DNP degrees at Columbia School of Nursing in New York and a BA degree in philosophy at St. Vincent College, Latrobe.
She received Carlow’s Dorothy Weber Cochran ‘43 Award for Excellence in Faculty and Scholarship in 2021 and the Digital Learning Award, CDLI, in 2020.
Lynn George, PhD, dean of Carlow’s Health and Wellness, said Foreman ““is the epitome of a scholar and a nurse practitioner.”
“She is well published and her students find her to be particularly engaging. She connects with both her students and her patients in providing holistic care and holistic education,” George said.
“She learned the Spanish language while working at an HIV clinic in New York so she could communicate directly with her Hispanic patients. That’s just who she is.”
Deborah Mitchum, DNP, Carlow’s Family Nurse Practitioner director, said Foreman “displays a transparent love for the FNP profession that is evident in her positive, enthusiastic and energetic teaching style.
“She facilitates the first primary care didactic course, in which common acute and chronic disease concepts are discussed and critical thinking is facilitated,” Mitchum said. “Dr. Foreman is consistently available and fosters communication with her graduate students using socially distant in-person, virtual and email modalities to ensure communication and successful mastery of course material.”
Student Anne Parisi said she is fortunate to have Foreman as a professor and mentor while pursuing an MS degree in FNP.
“She always takes the initiative to ensure that every student understands content that is presented during lectures, and applies the subject to clinical practice. This act has further enriched my learning.
“She truly has a gift for imparting her extensive knowledge and experience to clinical practice and instilling enthusiasm for her nurse practitioner students. She is passionate about teaching, and I am forever thankful for the positive impact that she has had on me both as a student and as an individual.”
Foreman resides in Pittsburgh with her husband Zachary and children Zelie and Zofia.