Joanne Disch Honored With 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award

A 1968 graduate of UW-Madison's School of Nursing, Disch is the Katherine R. and C. Walton Lillehei Chair in Nursing Leadership at the University of Minnesota, where she directs the Katharine J. Densford International Center for Nursing Leadership. She currently serves as chair of AARP's national board of directors, and is a former president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

Disch earned her master's degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her PhD from the University of Michigan.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor bestowed by the Wisconsin Alumni Association. The award celebrates outstanding UW-Madison graduates whose professional achievements, contributions to society, and support of the university exemplify the Wisconsin Idea.

"Through their one-of-a-kind endeavors, these UW alumni are credited with some of the world's most innovative and important contributions," said Paula Bonner MS'78, WAA's President and CEO. "We're proud to recognize them as part of the worldwide community of 370,000 passionate, inspired UW-Madison alumni."

The recipients will be honored at an awards program at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at the Wisconsin Union Theater in Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. The awards program is free and open to the public. Details and registration are at uwalumni.com/daa.