The Koerner Center is pleased to announce that Ruth McCorkle, Florence Schorske Wald Emerita Professor of Nursing and Professor of Epidemiology, was designated as one of seven nurses who will receive the American Academy of Nursing’s highest honor at the Academy’s Annual Policy Conference this fall. The award is presented to Academy Fellows who “have demonstrated extraordinary, sustained contributions to nursing and healthcare” during their careers. In a press release issued on August 9, Academy President Karen Cox stated that “The Academy is thrilled to designate these incredibly deserving individuals as Academy Living Legends for their many contributions… Clearly, each nurse leader’s accomplishments have positively impacted the health and healthcare of people in the United States and across the globe. Their legacy will endure the test of time.” The nurses will receive their award at the Academy’s conference on November 1, 2018.
Ruth McCorkle is a pioneer in oncology nursing, symptom science, hospice, and palliative care. Her experience as a volunteer with the Air Force Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War led her to study at St. Christopher’s Hospice in London. She later cofounded the Hospice of Seattle and Northwest Regional Oncology Society. Dr. McCorkle developed the Symptom Distress Scale, the first self-reported scale to measure the presence of a symptom and the associated distress. In seven clinical trials, she has tested the role of the Advance Practice Nurse on quality of life and survival outcomes of cancer patients and their caregivers. As a professor emerita at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania, she continues her work as Director of Psychosocial Oncology at Yale Cancer Comprehensive Center.
