4 honored for advocacy of the nursing profession

Jan Malcolm, Stuart Speedie, John Reiling and Educated Change were recognized with the School of Nursing’s Richard Olding Beard Award during a ceremony on May 7.

The Beard Award recognizes non-nurses whose foresight, wisdom and courageous advocacy for the nursing profession have led to better healthcare for all.

Malcolm served as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health under three governors, responsible for directing the breadth of programs carrying out MDH’s mission to protect, maintain, and improve the health of all Minnesotans. Her career is defined by leadership during historic challenges, including leading Minnesota’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, she led the Governor’s Task Force on Academic Health at the University of Minnesota, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare education and research. 

Speedie led the introduction of health informatics at the University of Minnesota. He was essential in establishing the University’s Institute for Health Informatics and played a pivotal role in the University establishing the Clinical Translational Science Institute. Throughout his career, Speedie has championed an interprofessional approach, building informatics solutions in partnership with others. His dedication to data-driven innovation has empowered nurses to lead in an increasingly complex healthcare landscape. A renowned curriculum expert, he supported the Doctor of Nursing Practice nursing informatics specialty becoming the first in the nation to receive accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education. 

Reiling is president and CEO of Safe by Design and former president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Community Hospital & SynergyHealth Inc. in West Bend, Wisconsin. He is a nationally renowned leader in facility design and patient safety dedicated to building systems that protect both patients and providers. A relentless advocate for nursing and interprofessionalism, he served as an inaugural member of the Dean’s National Board of Visitors. His influence is felt globally as president/CEO emeritus of the Foundation for Cancer Care in Tanzania, and he was instrumental in fostering a vital partnership with the school. He also championed advancing the school’s partnership with public health.

Educated Change, led by Peter Klein, CEO, is a pioneer in helping people use technology to strengthen human connection and judgment. They first engaged the School of Nursing to understand the profound impact of social media and digital devices on the next generation of students. They assisted the school in raising the national and international profile of faculty and research through better utilization of social media and marketing. Most recently they supported the positioning of the school at the forefront of the use of generative AI in higher education. Their work has positioned the school as a leader in the human-centered adoption of AI, advocating for frameworks grounded in compassion and care. Klein was also instrumental in formulating Leading with Love, a leadership practice.

The award’s namesake, Richard Olding Beard, proposed the establishment of the University of Minnesota School for Nurses to the Board of Regents in 1908, recognizing the need for higher-level education for nurses and for women. The school opened in 1909, becoming the first school of nursing based in a university. His pioneering advocacy for lifting up the nursing profession was expressed in his writings and speeches in which he espoused the “educated spirit of the nurse.”