Mary Maryland PhD ’94 is a primary care provider at WellBe Senior Medical and a proud alum of Malcolm X College, where she got her associate's degree, and UIC's College of Nursing, where she became the seventh African American student to achieve a PhD.  

When Maryland arrived at UIC's College of Nursing with 10 years' experience, she recruited students under UIC's Urban Health program, which was designed to diversify health professions. She has been a global speaker, educator, clinician and administrator; co-authored a $380,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; and landed a consulting contract with NASA.

In addition to her clinical work, Maryland served on the boards of the American Nurses Foundation, American Nurses Association and the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and spent a year working in Rwanda. She established a scholarship in the College of Nursing and serves as a volunteer on the UIC Alumni Association Board. Reflecting on her 47-year career, Maryland encourages others to “take a leap of faith” and embrace the possibilities within nursing.