Colleen Conway-Welch

Colleen Conway-Welch (April 26, 1944 – October 12, 2018) was an American nursing and public health advocate. She served as Dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) from 1984 to 2013 and on President Ronald Reagan's Commission on the HIV Epidemic.

Biography Conway-Welch was born in Monticello, Iowa, and was the oldest of three sisters. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a farmer who went on to work in construction. His career required the family to constantly move to his latest project.

Conway-Welch entered Georgetown University School of Nursing at age 16 on a full scholarship. She earned degrees from Georgetown, Catholic University School of Nursing, and New York University, where she received her doctorate.

Personal life Shortly after becoming VUSN's dean, Conway-Welch made a fundraising call to prominent Nashville businessman Ted Welch. They later married and went on to be fixtures in political, charity, and civic events. He died in 2014; she died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.

Honors Conway-Welch was active nationally in health policy and education. She was named by President Reagan to serve on his Commission on the HIV Epidemic in 1987 and, in 2006, was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.

In 2016, she was inducted into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame and was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing for her contributions to the nursing profession. In 2017, she was elected to the Modern Healthcare Hall of Fame.