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YSU honors Hrina as its first Alumnus of the Year
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
BOARDMAN
Youngstown State University’s Department of Nursing has chosen Sharon Hrina, vice president, Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley, as its first Alumnus of the Year.
The award recognizes alumni for their dedication to making the community healthier and safer, said Patricia Hoyson, Ph.D., chairwoman of the department.
At Akron Children’s, Hrina oversees the operations and management of the five sites of Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley — Beeghly Campus, which houses the emergency department, inpatient units, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, diagnostic services, the Blood and Cancer Center, lab and pharmacy; community-outreach education and support services at Southwoods in Boardman; pediatric specialties at the Boardman Medical Pavilion at St. Elizabeth, Boardman; the Special Care Nursery at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown; and the Child Advocacy Center on Fifth Avenue, Youngstown. She has been with Akron Children’s since 2004.
Hrina, honored at a dinner hosted by YSU’s Bitonte College of Health and Human Services late last month, has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as 40 years of experience in health-care administration in the Mahoning Valley.
She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from YSU and was a graduate of YSU’s first nursing class in 1969. She was active in the YSU School of Nursing Advisory Council and was the first president of the YSU Alumni Nursing Association, which subsequently became the YSU Nursing Chapter of the YSU Alumni Organization, Hoyson said.
Hrina was the first to receive the Bitonte Alumni Award, which recognizes work-related activities as well as professional and community involvement, Hoyson added.