Sharpnack, Patricia A.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
For her extraordinary leadership and commitment to advancing nursing education, the Northeast Region of the Ohio League for Nursing proudly recognizes Dr. Patricia Sharpnack for the 2026 Faces of Care Lifetime Achievement Award.
A member of OLN since 2009, Dr. Sharpnack has supported the League through her long-standing service on the Summit Planning Committee and her contributions as a presenter for OLN/NEOLN conferences and continuing education programs, consistently enriching Ohio’s nursing community with her insight and innovation.
Dr. Sharpnack currently serves as Dean and Strawbridge Professor at the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College. Over her 24 years as a nurse educator, she has shaped the next generation of nurses through undergraduate and graduate teaching in leadership, policy and education. Her influence extends nationally and globally: she is the immediate past-chair of the National League for Nursing, a past president of the Ohio Board of Nursing through gubernatorial appointment, and an active member of the International Council of Nurses Education Expert Advisory Panel.
Her career includes service as Chief Nursing Officer for several Cleveland-area health care organizations, further grounding her academic leadership in real-world practice. She contributes to the profession’s scholarly landscape as a member of the editorial boards for Nursing Education Today and Clinical Simulation in Nursing, and as a reviewer for a remarkable 12 refereed journals.
Dr. Sharpnack has shared her work on innovative clinical education models, competency-based education, academic-practice partnerships and simulation-based quality and safety training at international, national and regional forums. She is also a nationally recognized consultant in curricular design and team training.
Her excellence has been widely celebrated. She is a recipient of the National League for Nursing’s Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing Education and was recently inducted into the 2026 Class of the YWCA Career Women of Achievement. She is a Fellow of both the NLN Academy of Nurse Educators and the American Academy of Nursing.
With deep gratitude for her enduring impact on nursing education, leadership and practice, we honor Dr. Patricia Sharpnack for her exceptional service and contributions to the profession.
