Mount Alumnae Recognized as Ad Laudem Dei Recipients
10/16/2014
Elizabeth R. Brown ’68 and Catherine McDermott ’61 Honored as Distinguished Alumnae
Riverdale, N.Y. – Two University of Mount Saint Vincent alumnae will be honored at the College’s annual Ad Laudem Dei ceremony, which recognizes highly accomplished alumnae/i. The awards are presented annually to graduates of the College who have led business or professional lives of national significance, and who best exemplify the Mount’s mission of service as an integral part of the whole person. The two 2014 honorees, Elizabeth R. Brown, M.D. ’68 and Catherine McDermott ’61, will be celebrated at a reception on Saturday, October 18, in the newly renovated Blue Room in Founders Hall on the Mount campus.
Elizabeth R. Brown, M.D., earned her B.S. from the University of Mount Saint Vincent in 1968, and her M.D. from the University of Maryland in 1972. She completed her residency training in pediatrics at McGill University in Montreal (Montreal Children’s Hospital), followed by a fellowship in neonatal perinatal medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Joint Program in Neonatology. She continued to pursue her research in fetal and newborn lung development while remaining on the staff as a clinical physician in neonatology in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. From 1985 until her retirement in 2008, Dr. Brown served as the director of neonatology and was an associate professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. She has researched and advocated for the treatment of pregnant women struggling with addiction, and has served on the boards of several notable organizations, including the University of Mount Saint Vincent’s Science Advisory Committee.
Catherine E. McDermott received her B.A. from the University of Mount Saint Vincent in 1961. She began her professional career as a director of administration at Cornell University Medical College. She joined the Carnegie University Corporation of New York in 1969, focusing on human resources and health benefits of international women’s issues. She then went on to become a member of the senior staff of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1976, working as a foundation liaison officer for the nation’s largest philanthropy foundation. With her experience she went on to become the founding president and CEO of Grantmakers in Health (GIH), a nonprofit, educational organization exclusively serving health philanthropy. Following this passion of addressing the quality of health care, Ms. McDermott served as president, CEO, and as a member of the Board for the National Committee for Quality Health Care from 1997 until her retirement in 2005. She has served on the board of many committees and advisory organizations, has volunteered extensively, and is a member of many different associations.
Ad Laudem Dei, a Latin term that translates as, “To the glory of God,” also recognizes and acknowledges President’s Associates—a society of donors committed to contributing $1,000 or more to the College annually.
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.