2006 Award Winners

Physical Health – Dr. Carole A. Jenny

Dr. Carole Jenny is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the field of Forensic Pediatrics.  She is the director of the Child Protection Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatrics at Brown Medical School.  Her work has been instrumental in the diagnosis and subsequent safety of children who have been victims of child abuse and neglect.

Mental Health – Mary F. Dwyer

Mary Dwyer is an accomplished psychiatric nurse.  She is the vice president of community support and nursing services at NRI Community Services, Inc.  Dwyer is president of the Rhode Island State Nurses Association and an outstanding leader in the area of behavioral healthcare services for the mentally ill.

Business Leader – Lynne A. Urbani

Lynn Urbani is a community leader who promotes health and wellness. She is the senior vice president of customer, provider, and medical services at Blue Cross &Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Urbani advocates for more coordination in healthcare, the right provider in the right place at the right time.

Leader in the Public Sector – Mary Riley

Mary Riley is the chairwoman of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees’ health care committee. Her expertise is recognized locally and throughout the industry. Riley also co-established the London/Riley Memorial Scholarship Fund for cancer survivors treated at The Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

Research – Annlouise R. Assaf

Annlouise Assaf was one of only three women in the country chosen to direct the country’s largest study ever conducted of women’s health, the Women’s Health Initiative. Assaf continues to oversee an annual follow up of the participants. She is the senior director of global epidemiology and risk management at Pfizer, a director of community health research at Brown Center for Primary Care and Prevention at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, and an associate professor at the Department of Community Health at Brown University Medical School.

Assisting Others – Analee Wulfkuhle

As president and CEO of Home &Hospice Care of Rhode Island, Analee Wulfkuhle is playing a pivotal role in improving end-of-life care to individuals with serious illness and support services to their families. Extending services beyond traditional hospice at home, she has brought services into nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, group homes, and prisons. Wulfkuhle spearheads new programs to better meet the needs of Rhode Island’s diverse population.

Samaritan – Robin Rodgers

Robin Rodgers works to bring health information, screenings, and programs to low income and minority populations throughout the state. She is the manager of the Family Van Program at Women &Infants Hospital. Focusing on quality and accessibility in health care, Rodgers is a dedicated community collaborator, grant writer, and nurse practitioner.

OB/GYN – Dr. Kathleen Fitzgerald

Dr. Kathleen Fitzgerald is a physician specializing in primary care for women and gynecological surgery, an assistant professor for Clinical Medicine at Brown, and past president of the Rhode Island Medical Society. She is the chair of the Ob-Gyn Section Council of the American Medical Association. Dr. Fitzgerald was the first woman to serve as president of the Women &Infants Hospital Medical Staff Association and the first woman to chair District I of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Heart Health (heart disease, the leading cause of death in women) – Dr. Barbara H. Roberts

Dr. Barbara Roberts’s life work is taking care of women and their hearts. She is the director of the only cardiac center in Rhode Island devoted to women, The Women’s Cardiac Center at The Miriam Hospital. Dr. Roberts raises awareness of the differences in the female disease vs. the male disease.

Education – Dr. Kelly A. McGarry

Dr. Kelly McGarry is a faculty member in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Brown Medical School and is establishing a women’s health concentration for the General Internal Medicine Residency. She is the education director for The National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health at Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, evaluating and enhancing the medical school’s women’s health curriculum. Dr. McGarry has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals along with chapters in medical textbooks. She also served as the co-principal investigator for a grant from the Lesbian Health Fund.