Theresa Brown, nurse and author of The Shift, about 12 hours in the life of a nurse on an oncology unit, will be speaking at Carlow University on March 17 at 4 p.m.
| Marketing and Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | February 29, 2016 |
| 412.578.2095 (phone) | |
| 412.260.6807 (cell) | |
| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Brown’s Book About a Day in the Life of a Nurse Is Part of Carlow’s Celebration of Women’s History Month
Pittsburgh, Pa. – As part of its celebration of Women’s History Month, Carlow University will welcome best-selling author Theresa Brown for a free reading on Thursday, March 17, 2016, at 4 p.m. in the Kresge Center, located on the fifth floor of University Commons, on the Carlow campus.
Brown, who holds both a nursing degree and a PhD in English, provides a compelling insider’s view of the nursing profession in the two books she has authored. Her most recent book, The Shift, is about 12 hours in an oncology ward in a busy teaching hospital. A regular contributor to The New York Times, Brown was recently featured on NPR’s Fresh Air. [A brief bio of Brown follows this news release.]
“Brown’s book,” says Anne Rashid, PhD, Carlow University’s director of Women’s and Gender Studies and an associate professor of English, “is a testament to all the work nurses do and the humanity they show their patients on a daily basis. Theresa is a wonderful role model, since she transformed her life in order to be of service to others. We are delighted to have her visit Carlow for this reading, and we think it will be of great interest to students, faculty, and community members – not only in the health care field – but across all disciplines.”
The event on March 17 begins with Brown reading from The Shift, followed by a question and answer session. At 5 p.m., there will be a reception and book signing in the lobby area immediately outside of the Kresge Center.
The reading, which is sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Committee at Carlow, is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Anne Rashid at arashid@carlow.edu or (412) 578-6359.
### Editor’s Note: Carlow University welcomes the news media to cover Theresa Brown’s reading. In addition, Brown is available for a limited number of interviews in advance of this event. To arrange for free, convenient parking, please contact Drew Wilson on his cell phone at (412) 260-6807.
About Carlow University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carlow University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1929. Offering both undergraduate and graduate programs, Carlow University is a comprehensive master’s institution dedicated to learner-centered education at the collegiate levels and at the elementary school level in the Campus School of Carlow University.
Bio of Theresa Brown
There can’t be too many people who both practice nursing and hold a Ph.D. in English, but Theresa Brown is one of them. She has given us a compelling insider’s view of the nursing profession in two books, one about her first year of nursing, and the latest, The Shift, about twelve hours in an oncology ward in a busy teaching hospital. She is a popular speaker on the lecture circuit and also a frequent contributor The New York Times, writing on subjects as diverse as nurse/patient ratios, health care reform, bullying by physicians, and the importance of end of life care.
Brown received her B.A. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago, and taught writing and literature at Harvard, MIT and Tufts. After starting a family, she decided to make a career change, went back to school, and earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. In her first year as an oncology nurse Brown experienced the sudden death of a patient and in an attempt to come to terms with the experience, wrote an essay titled “Perhaps Death is Proud” which was published by the New York Times and led to her first book, Critical Care. Brown became a regular contributor to the popular New York Times “Well” blog, then switched to writing a monthly opinion column called “Bedside.” She continues to write opinion pieces for the New York Times.
In her New York Times bestselling book, THE SHIFT, Brown takes us on rounds where she is responsible for the care and management of four patients on a particular day in the hospital. She shows us what it really takes to be on the human side of a medical institution — lives can be lost, life-altering treatment decisions made, and dreams fulfilled or irrevocably stolen — all in the span of twelve hours.
Brown is a commentator in both print and broadcast national media, including CNN.com, Slate, Salon.com, The American Journal of Nursing, C-SPAN Book TV, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She is a leading voice on health care as seen from the nurse’s point of view. She is a board member at the Pittsburgh Jewish HealthCare Foundation and the Center for Health Media and Policy at Hunter College. She has also been involved with two different Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiatives. Brown lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and three children. She continues to work clinically as a hospice nurse.