Claire M. Fagin

Claire M. Fagin, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a consultant to foundations, developing national programs and
educational institutions. Dr. Fagin’s career has blended an interest in consumer health issues with
professional health and nursing issues. She is known for her efforts with consumers and health
professionals to create a new paradigm for access and quality. She served as dean of the School of
Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania from 1977 to 1992, and as the interim president of the
university in 1993–1994. Dr. Fagin was the first woman to serve as chief executive officer of the
university. Presently she is director of the John A. Hartford Foundation program, Building Academic
Geriatric Nursing.

Dr. Fagin has served on corporate boards and has held elected and appointed positions in many
professional organizations. Currently she is a member of the board of the Van Ameringen Foundation,
the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and the New York Academy of Medicine; she is a member or
fellow of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Nursing,
the Expert Panel on Nursing of the World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences.

Dr. Fagin has received ten honorary doctoral degrees and numerous alumni, civic, and professional
awards. In recognition of her contribution to nursing education and leadership and her influence on
health care policy, Dr. Fagin received the Honorary Recognition Award of the American Nurses
Association, the most prestigious honor awarded in the nursing profession. Among her other awards are
the first Distinguished Scholar Award given by the American Nurses Foundation and the Hildegard E.
Peplau Award (for her work in psychiatric nursing) from the American Nurses Association. In fall 1998
Dr. Fagin was named a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing and received the
President’s Medal from New York University. June 2001