SCLC honors Dr. Faye Gary with the “Medical Trailblazer Award”
Faye A. Gary, EdD, RN, FAAN is the Medical Mutual of Ohio Professor for Vulnerable and At-Risk Persons at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. For more than three decades, Dr. Gary has participated in research and practice in child and adolescent mental health care and substance abuse disorders prevention and treatment. She has provided services to runaway and homeless children, youth in juvenile detention centers, children with severe mental illnesses, and other vulnerable and at-risk individuals. She works with law enforcement, school districts, faith-based communities, universities, departments of public health, and others to improve the quality of life and opportunities for this vulnerable population. Her work is culturally diverse and spans many global communities, including Ecuador, Brazil, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, The Kingdom of Lesotho, U.S. Virgin Islands, China, Japan and several regions of the United States.
Prior to her endowment at Case, Dr. Gary was a faculty member at the University of Florida, College of Nursing and the Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, for more than two decades. During her tenure there, she attained the rank of Distinguished Professor, and received several honors and awards for her contributions to the well-being of children and youth at the local, state, and national levels. She has received the American Nurses Association’s Human Rights Award, the State of Florida Governor’s Medallion, the Ocala Community Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Incarcerated Youth. Dr. Gary has tirelessly championed the cause of and fought for children at high risk for mental illness, substance abuse, and delinquency. She is a founding member of Arnette House, a shelter in North Central Florida for runaway and homeless children. This shelter was constructed through grant funding and continues to provide services for children via its residential and outpatient programs. Over the past 12 years, she has taught ethnics at juvenile detention centers and public schools in Central Florida.
Dr. Gary’s contributions to the well-being of children have continued in Cleveland and in other national and international communities. She facilitated the Discover Nursing Program at Case Western Reserve University. The purpose of this program is to increase nursing education opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, specifically African American and Hispanic American persons, by providing the necessary tools and retention activities to assist them in becoming professional nurses. She also coordinated and taught a series of “Lunch Lessons” in the Cleveland Public Schools which included topics such as conflict resolution, the reduction of high-risk behaviors (e.g., drugs, alcohol, sex). Dr. Gary has published approximately 100 manuscripts and book chapters in nursing, medical, interdisciplinary, and scientific journals and textbooks. Topics include the effect of family violence on children; children with ADD; the risk of suicide among Native American adolescents; the risks for incarcerated and runaway youths; youth-focused HIV/AIDS; and mental health issues in children.
Currently, Dr. Gary serves on the National Board of Directors, the National Mental Health Association (Mental Health America), the National Advisory Board of the Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Advisory Board of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She is an immediate past member of the National Advisory Board of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where she served on the subcommittees related to research and education priorities within the NIMH.
Read more about the Medical Trailblazer Award from Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) [PDF]