TU alumnae recognized as Health Care Heroes
Two TU grads among just 15 honorees by The Daily Record
By Cody Boteler on May 8, 2020
The Maryland Daily Record recognized two Towson University College of Health Professions alumnae as Health Care Heroes.
Beverly Ruiz ’93 works at Gilchrist in a home care program, and Marianne Logan Fingerhood ’85 works for Johns Hopkins Community Physicians-White Marsh and as a faculty member in The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
The two were honored as nurse practitioners of the year, among just 15 individuals honored statewide by the newspaper.
Both say their time at Towson University, where they each earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing, prepared them for their career success.
“I had great instructors at Towson University,” says Ruiz. “And the educational foundation helped give me the confidence to say, ‘OK, let’s take that next step in my career.’”
She is still in touch with many of her classmates from her time at TU and has peers who work directly with COVID-19 patients in intensive care units.
Since working at Gilchrist, Ruiz has welcomed TU students who have done clinical rotations there, giving them practical experience before they graduate.
Logan Fingerhood earned a master’s degree in health education at TU in 1995, which she says is incredibly valuable now that she has become an instructor.
Since she was an undergraduate, Logan Fingerhood says, “I knew I wanted to teach and make sure that students had positive experiences learning how to be a nurse.”
The Department of Nursing at Towson University continues to give back to the community, whether it be through inspiring nursing educators as in Logan Fingerhood’s case or through donating supplies and protective equipment to partner institutions as they face the COVID-19 pandemic.
Information about the nursing program can be found online.
Ruiz and Logan Fingerhood will be honored during The Daily Record’s virtual Health Care Heroes event scheduled for June 25.
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.