SALISBURY — An “exemplary and enthusiastic teacher, a prolific and influential scholar, and an energetic and respected service leader” is how Dr. Mary DiBartolo of the Nursing Department was described when she was presented with Salisbury University’s 2016 Distinguished Faculty Award.
The prestigious tribute is given by faculty to faculty. Well known in the community as well as on campus, DiBartolo earned praise from colleagues, administrators, advisees and community partners.
Her students say she is an “extremely well-prepared professor” who “puts extensive effort into her craft” and is “able to add a creative flair to even the most mundane topics.” Colleagues call her “inventive and humorous, yet challenging” and praise her for bringing extensive personal and clinical experience to the role of “educating students, caregivers and the community.” She has mentored advanced students. She also integrates the latest technology to reach students across all levels; her innovative teaching methods include case studies, clicker quizzes, videos, role-playing, gaming, simulations, and the use of standardized patients.
DiBartolo is an accomplished scholar and researcher. In the past five years alone she served as a reviewer for five journals, published 11 peer-reviewed articles in top-tier journals and delivered over 20 presentations regionally, nationally and internationally. For 14 years she has hosted PAC 14’s Focus on Health, offering over 230 educational programs on health topics and surgical procedures to Wicomico County residents. She also provides free educational programs for family dementia caregivers to MAC, Inc., the area agency on aging, as well as other local support groups, and actively participates in fundraising efforts for both MAC, Inc, and the Village of Hope.
Recognized in her field, she is an educator and consultant for the renowned Integrace Institute at Copper Ridge, responsible for providing Alzheimer’s/dementia care training to various Eastern Shore facilities and organizations. She also was selected by the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation for its Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nursing Faculty Scholar program where she has presented staff training programs to several area hospitals on caring for hospitalized persons with the disease. She has worked on several collaborative projects with the Johns Hopkins Geriatric Education Consortium to provide expert speakers on health issues facing older adults to the campus and local community. She was named SU’s first Fulton Endowed Professor of Geriatric Nursing.
Her areas of interest include acute care, gerontology, Alzheimer’s/dementia and caregiving, Parkinson’s care, and end-of-life issues. She is a certified in both gerontological nursing and as a nurse educator. Prior to joining SU’s faculty in 1997, she worked in long term care administration.
Within her department, she has chaired and served on accreditation task forces and various committees; overseen program admissions; and guided students in the first D.N.P. cohort in completion of their culminating projects. Colleagues say she is “known for her dedication to the department and her willingness to step in whenever needed.”