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UMMC bids adieu to longtime SON, SOM faculty

Published on Thursday, November 19, 2015

Published on November 19, 2015

UMMC leadership extends its sympathy to the family of Dr. Sharon B. Wyatt, Harriet G. Williamson Professor of Nursing and professor of medicine, in appreciation for her contributions to the academic health science center.

Wyatt
Wyatt

Wyatt died Nov. 5. She had been on the UMMC faculty since 1993. 

An American Academy of Nursing inductee, Wyatt taught in the PhD and DNP programs and maintained a research focus on cardiovascular health disparities and innovative, community-driven solutions to overcoming health disparities.

Dr. Kim Hoover, dean of the School of Nursing, said the school has “lost a true scholar” who will be missed.

"For over 20 years, Dr. Sharon Wyatt taught, mentored students and collaborated with researchers at UMMC and across the U.S.,” Hoover said. “She was a master educator who 'payed it forward' through the PhD candidates she mentored and guided through dissertations. Dr. Wyatt held joint appointments in the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine and was a highly respected researcher and practitioner.

"Her cardiovascular work through the Jackson Heart Study and the hypertension clinic supported our mission of improving the health of Mississippians.”

Wyatt began her nursing career as a clinical nurse specialist in cardiovascular nursing. She taught at George Mason University, Georgetown University and Shenandoah University before coming to the Medical Center. She completed her postmaster's degree as a family nurse practitioner at UMMC and had a joint appointment in medicine and nursing while maintaining an active practice at the hypertension clinic.

A nationally and internationally recognized scholar, Wyatt was an extremely well-published and well-funded researcher, with funding most notably from the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She was instrumental in developing the Jackson Heart Study grant application and served as co-principal investigator for 10 years. She also served as principal investigator for the National Children's Study, Hinds County Study Center, from 2007-12.

A memorial service to celebrate Wyatt's life is scheduled for noon on Monday, Dec. 7, at Saint James Episcopal Church in Jackson. A reception will follow the service, as will an Open House at 629 Broadway Ave. in Jackson.

The Sharon B. Wyatt Memorial Fund has been established in her honor. Donations to the fund will be used to support national and international travel to conferences for School of Nursing doctoral students. For more information or to make a donation to the fund, click here.