Meet Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Sue T. Hegyvary

The College of Nursing is now accepting nominations for the third class of Hall of Fame inductees. Click here to nominate a distinguished nursing leader by March 31! 

Sue Hegyvary, PhD, RN, FAAN, grew up in rural Kentucky in a culture that didn’t especially value education. Very few students from her high school went to college.

However, in 1965, she completed her BSN at UK. “We didn’t know it then, but we all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Marcia Dake, the first dean of  the College, for establishing the  tradition that we’re not here for things and technology. We’re here for people, and whether that’s down the street or across the world, that’s the essence of the nursing profession,” says Dr. Hegyvary.

Dr. Hegyvary served as professor and dean emeritus at the University of Washington School of Nursing, where she taught international health, health care systems and organizational effectiveness. Since 1999, Hegyvary has served as editor of the Journal of Nursing Scholarship (JNS), an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International. The journal evolved significantly under her direction and reflects her influence, including its global perspective, focus on excellence, a requirement of rigorous study designs and consideration of larger societal contexts in which analytical findings are interpreted.

Hegyvary, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, specializes in medical sociology and complex organizations, focusing in patient care outcomes and future trends in nursing education and practice. She came to the UW in 1986 after 14 years in the Chicago area, where she was associate dean and associate vice president for nursing affairs at Rush University College of Nursing and Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Kentucky and her master’s degree in nursing from Emory University in Atlanta. In 1974, she received her Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University.