Faye A. Gary, EdD, MS, RN, FAAN, is a Distinguished University Professor, Medical Mutual of Ohio Kent W. Clapp Chair, and Professor of Nursing for Vulnerable and At-Risk Persons at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).

Over the course of her extraordinary career, Dr. Gary’s steadfast commitment to psychiatric nursing with a distinct interest in child and adolescent mental health, health disparities, and domestic violence has made her a leader in the field. Dr. Gary’s impact is demonstrated through her many contributions in improving health policy, promoting social justice, and advancing health equity.

Dr. Gary’s focus has consistently highlighted total well-being (mental, physical, and social determinants of health) of marginalized populations. Her lifelong commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion is highlighted by her most recent book, A Population Health Approach to Health Disparities for Nurses: Care of Vulnerable Populations, which was awarded second place in the 2023 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award in Public and Population Health. Dr. Gary has authored more than 250 publications, three of which were given AJN Book of the Year Awards. Further emphasizing her impact, she has served on 31 international and 58 national editorial journal reviews boards, obtained more than $40 million in grant funding, and has given over 400 presentations. As a mentor, Dr. Gary has served on 118 doctoral committees, and personally mentored more than 300 emerging leaders in nursing and healthcare in local, national, and international communities.

For more than a decade, Dr. Gary served as the executive consultant to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Ethnic Minority Fellowship Program (EMFP) that is housed at the American Nurses Association, also serving on the EMFP Board of Directors. In addition to her work with SAMHSA, Dr. Gary has served on the National Advisory Committees of the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Rural Health, and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, helping to steer national programming and policy. Through Dr. Gary’s global reach, she has consulted for ministries of health in several countries and served on the Task Force on Ethics and Professional Conduct for the United Nations Commission on Refugees. Dr. Gary worked with the African Kingdom of Lesotho, where she collaborated with the Ministry of Health, the Lesotho Nurses Association, the Lesotho Ministry of Agriculture and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for over five years, addressing the educational needs of nurses and the primary health care needs of citizens of Lesotho. She served as a mentor to nurses and other members of the health care team, educating them on disease prevention and health promotion. Additionally, Dr. Gary has served as a core group member of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, utilizing her expertise as a child and adolescent psychiatric nurse.

Dr. Gary’s has been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including being named to Sigma Theta Tau’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame; the National Black Nurses Association’s Nurse Researcher of the Year Award; and the Association of Black Nursing Faculty’s Lifetime Achievement in Education and Research. Dr. Gary was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 1979.