SPOKANE, Wash. — Intercollegiate College of Nursing/Washington State University College of Nursing professor Gail Synoground has been named the 2002 University of Washington School of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumna.
Synoground will receive the award Oct. 8 during the 24th annual Friends of Nursing Dinner held at the UW Faculty Club. Joined by her peers, fellow alumni, colleagues, family and friends, Synoground will deliver a presentation titled “Service: Responsibility or Privilege?”
Synoground received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the UW and received her doctorate in education from Nova University in Florida. Synoground was nominated by her peers and chosen by the Alumni Advisory Counsel for “excellence in clinical practice and outstanding contribution to the community in leadership and professional organization.”
Synoground is the cofounder of People’s Clinic, a nurse-managed health care clinic operated by the Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing. Established in 1998 to increase access to health care throughout Spokane County, People’s Clinic serves more then 300 patients each month. The clinic was created and is maintained with funding from many local and national foundations, agencies, organizations and individuals, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Foundation Northwest and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
“Gail is an asset to our college and community,” said Margaret Bruya, Intercollegiate College of Nursing professor, cofounder of People’s Clinic and fellow UW School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award winner. “As a nurse practitioner, faculty member and local resident, her personal and professional contributions to the uninsured and underinsured people in our community are considerable.”
Synoground’s accomplishments include the development and implementation of a Washington State nursing certification education program, the development of a protocol for the School Nurse Institute–now offered annually by the College of Nursing, the Loretta Ford Leadership Award for innovative nurse practitioner practice, and the Nursing Excellence in Teaching and Nursing Service Award from the Delta Chi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau nursing honor society association.
“We are proud to recognize our alumna many of whom are deserving of this award,” said Laurie Ramacci Noegel, assistant director of development for the UW School of Nursing. “Gail was selected for her many years of community outreach, expertise and service to the nursing profession.”
Established in 1968, the Intercollegiate College of Nursing/WSU College of Nursing is the nation’s first, oldest and most comprehensive nursing education consortium. The College of Nursing offers baccalaureate, graduate and professional development course work to nursing students enrolled through its four consortium partners, Eastern Washington University, Gonzaga University, Washington State University and Whitworth College. Each year the college educates more than 600 graduate and upper-division undergraduate students and prepares more entry-level nurses than any other state educational institution. For more information about the College of Nursing visit the Web site at nursing.wsu.edu.
