Rear Admiral Susan Orsega to deliver Carolina Nursing spring commencement address

We’re delighted to announce that Rear Admiral (RADM) Susan Orsega, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, will deliver the Carolina Nursing spring 2022 commencement address.

A longtime champion of public health and one of the nation’s most recognized nurse practitioners, RADM Orsega began her career in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) more than 32 years ago.

Since then, she has held numerous leadership positions in HHS and currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General. In this role, she is the principal advisor on a full range of governmental programs, policies and activities with a focus on modernizing the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps and increasing response to public health crises.

When RADM Orsega was first commissioned in 1989, she was assigned to National Institutes of Health as the HIV/AIDS epidemic was unfolding. She has now served on at least 18 national and international disaster missions through the U.S. government, and she has distinguished herself as an expert in public health emergency response and disaster care.

“Rear Admiral Orsega is one of the most influential nurses leading public policy efforts in the federal government today,” said Peggy Wilmoth, interim dean of the UNC School of Nursing. “She has devoted her career to improving health equity and access for our nation, especially in times of crisis. I can think of no one better to speak to our Carolina Nursing graduates this spring.”

She was named chief nurse officer of the USPHS and was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2016. She is also an American Association of Nurse Practitioners fellow. RADM Orsega was serving as Director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters in 2020 and managed the activation of the largest deployment of USPHS Commissioned Corps in support of international and national COVID-19 efforts.

In January of 2021, President Joe Biden appointed RADM Orsega as acting surgeon general while Vivek H. Murthy, MD, MBH, was waiting for Senate confirmation. The surgeon general is often referred to as the “nation’s doctor,” and RADM Orsega was the third nurse to hold this position in the nation’s history.

RADM Orsega earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Towson University and a Master’s degree of Science from the USU Graduate School of Nursing Nurse Practitioner program. She is the recipient of the American Nursing Credentialing Center’s Princess Muna Al Hussein Award in 2019, HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2016, Uniformed Services University (USU) Graduate of School of Nursing Alumni of the Year award in 2015 and NIH Director’s award in 2002.

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Spring Commencement for the UNC School of Nursing will be held on Friday, May 6 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC.