PHILADELPHIA, PA—The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), an independent, nonprofit organization that provides competency assessments for osteopathic medical licensure and related health care professions, honored Susan I. Belanger, PhD, RN, MA, with the 2022 NBOME Clark Award for Patient Advocacy at its annual Board of Directors Meeting on December 10.
The Clark Award recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to patient safety, patient protection, and quality of care.
Belanger is the senior vice president for mission integration and the system ethicist at Covenant Health System in Lewiston, Maine. She is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies in Washington, DC. Previously, Dr. Belanger was senior research scholar and ethics liaison at Georgetown University Medical Center. In her more than 30 years of progressive leadership experience, she has served as director of education, training and research at Sibley Memorial Hospital, as well as vice president of nursing and division leader of acute care services at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine.
Belanger earned both a master’s and doctoral degree in nursing from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and a master’s degree in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. She completed a master’s degree in mission leadership in May of 2021. She has published and presented widely on the subject of ethics and has more than 20 years’ experience providing clinical ethics consultations. She has had roles in education and training in programs ranging from in-hospital settings to the university environment.
Belanger has considerable experience with the osteopathic profession from her tenure as a hospital vice president in Maine and has earned numerous honors and awards, including being twice honored with the Founder’s Day Award from her alma mater. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated a passion for improving end-of-life care, and this continues to be an important area of emphasis.
In October 2010, while teaching medical ethics at Georgetown, Belanger was elected to the NBOME Board as a public member. In December 2015, she was installed as an Executive Committee member and currently chairs the Standard and Assurances Committee and serves as a member of the Awards Committee. She is also a public member of the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on College Accreditation.
“Throughout her career, Susan has demonstrated a passion for improving end-of-life care, and this continues to be an important area of emphasis,” said John R. Gimpel, DO, MEd, president and CEO of the NBOME. “She is an ideal candidate for this award.”