Zvart Onanian School of Nursing Alumni

We proudly educate and empower nurses to enrich the health and well-being of all people. Over 3,000 RIC nursing graduates work in a wide variety of capacities to provide health care in Rhode Island and beyond. 

Alumni Spotlight 

2021 Charles B. Willard Achievement Award Honoree

Maria Ducharme '87

Maria Ducharme '87, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is president of The Miriam Hospital. Dr. Ducharme has spent her entire professional career at The Miriam Hospital, where she began as a cardiovascular medical/surgical nurse. Her impressive breadth of experiences has included leadership roles in inpatient nursing, respiratory therapy, and rehabilitation services. In 2010, Maria was named senior vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer of The Miriam. Maria has led some of The Miriam’s most ambitious and successful efforts to achieve excellence in the quality of patient care at the hospital. She helped lead the hospital’s response to COVID-19, directly overseeing the refinement and deployment of new safety protocols developed in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Under her stewardship, The Miriam attained four-year Magnet recognition — considered the gold standard for nursing excellence — six consecutive times, which is a feat accomplished by only three other hospitals in the United States. Maria earned a doctor of nursing practice from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, a master of science degree in nursing from the University of Rhode Island, and a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Rhode Island College in 1987. 

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