Loretta Sweet Jemmott
Loretta Sweet Jemmott | |
|---|---|
| Born | West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Spouse | |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Nursing |
| Sub-discipline | HIV/AIDS prevention |
| Institutions | |
Loretta Sweet Jemmott is a nursing professor and researcher, known for her contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1999. She was a professor of nursing and the vice president for health and health equity at Drexel University from 2015–2024. She moved to Villanova University in 2025, where she was appointed with the M. Louise Endowed Professorship in Nursing.
Early life and education
[edit]Loretta Sweet was born in West Philadelphia to a working-class family.[1] She was bused to attend an all-white elementary school, one of the city's first to be racially integrated.[2] She graduated from Overbrook High School in 1973; she was student body president.[3]
She received her bachelor's degree in nursing in 1978 from Hampton University (then known as Hampton Institute), a historically black college in Virginia. She received her master's in nursing and PhD in sexuality education from the University of Pennsylvannia.[2][4]
Career
[edit]Her first nursing job was at a high-risk pregnancy unit in Pennsylvania Hospital. She then worked at a clinic providing sex education for teenagers.[4]
In 1992, she won the Governor's Nursing Merit Award in Professional Advanced Practice for her work in AIDS education and research.[5] She worked as an assistant professor in maternal child nursing at Rutgers University, and was a visiting scholar through the University of Michigan's Kings-Chavez-Parks program.[6] She and her husband John B. Jemmott III created a HIV prevention program designed to reach youth in urban settings, known as the Jemmott Intervention or "Be Proud! Be Responsible!", was selected for inclusion in a nationwide curriculum the Centers for Disease Control in 1994.[1] Within a year, it had been adopted in 26 states and some Caribbean countries.[7] She presented the initiative at the New Jersey Nursing Convention in 2000.[8]
In 2015, she became a professor of nursing and the vice president for health and health equity at Drexel University.[9][10] The same year, she was also appointed to Main Line Health's board of governors.[11]
She gave the 2024 commencement address at the Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden.[12]
In March 2025, she was appointed to the M. Louise Endowed Professorship in Nursing at Villanova University.[13][14]
Honors and awards
[edit]She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 1999.[15] She received the M. Louise Fitzpatrick Award for Transformative Leadership in 2023.[16] She was recognized with the American Academy of Nursing's Civitas Award in 2024.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Her husband is John B. Jemmott III, the Kenneth B. Clark Professor of Communication and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.[18] They married in 1989.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Taking science to the streets". East Oregonian. 2004-03-21. p. 31. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ a b c ""And Still I Rise"". The Pennsylvania Gazette. 1997-11-01. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ Moore, Acel (1973-01-28). "Seniors defy rain to confer with college recruiters". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 29. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ a b "Serious mother-son talk". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1998-05-11. pp. F1F4. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "Congratulations!". The Star-Ledger. 1992-07-01. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "Scholar to speak on AIDS prevention". The Ann Arbor News. 1993-03-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "Educator written up". Asheville Citizen-Times. 1995-11-26. p. 35. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "Convention an outlet for vision and goals". The Star-Ledger. 2000-04-28. p. 157. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "People in the news". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2015-03-23. pp. C02. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Jennings, Rob (2024-04-22). "Hip hop icon named one of 6 Rutgers commencement speakers". The Times. pp. A3. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "The Boardroom". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2016-02-22. pp. C02. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "Here's who's speaking at this year's college commencements". The Times. 2024-05-05. pp. A3. Retrieved 2025-05-25.
- ^ "ENDOWED POSITIONS | Villanova University". www1.villanova.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Riehl, Sarah (2025-04-28). "Meet Commencement Speaker Loretta Jemmott - School of Nursing - Georgetown". School of Nursing. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "Loretta Sweet Jemmott - NAM". National Academy of Medicine. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ "M. Louise Fitzpatrick Award for Transformative Leadership | Villanova University". www1.villanova.edu. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ^ Kane, Caroline (2024-08-22). "American Academy of Nursing to Honor Esteemed Leaders". American Academy of Nursing. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
- ^ "John B. Jemmott III, Ph.D. | Annenberg". www.asc.upenn.edu. 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
- 1950s births
- Living people
- 20th-century African-American academics
- 21st-century African-American academics
- People from Philadelphia
- American nursing educators
- Hampton University alumni
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing alumni
- HIV/AIDS researchers
- Members of the National Academy of Medicine
- Drexel University faculty