Mary Ann Bradford Burnam (Class of 2025)

Mary Ann Bradford Burnam, BS, MS, PhD, RN, is unique in the nursing profession. For forty years, she has dedicated her professional life to providing comprehensive nursing education and teaching the rich history of nursing to better inform the future of the nursing profession. Nurses graduating from programs that she was instrumental in developing are well-poised to have a positive impact on health care in central Ohio. 

Burnam graduated from The Ohio State University with multiple degrees: Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1967, Master’s degree in Medical-Surgical Nursing, Curriculum Design and Teaching in 1970 and PhD in Education, History of Medicine and Nursing, Women’s Health and Ethics in 1998.  

Burnam was instrumental in developing the first nursing program at Otterbein College between 1977 and 1978. She developed the skills practice lab and manual with tests, performance exams, audiovisuals and clinical experiences for students. Later she helped develop the Master’s degree in Nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. She was a course coordinator at the undergraduate and graduate levels in nursing history, ethics and nursing research.  

Burnam’s involvement in Otterbein College’s committees and Department of Nursing emphasized her expertise in education. She participated in Faculty Council and Senate, academic council, took sabbatical leaves and sat on several advisory and steering committees for women’s studies, integrative studies and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Within the Department of Nursing, her committee involvement was focused on obtaining grants for nursing competency development and recruiting adults into nursing.  

Burnam was a member of the Ohio Academy of Medical History, American Association for the History of Nursing, National Women’s Studies Association and past president for the Friends of Nursing History Steering Committee of the Medical Heritage Center at Ohio State’s Health Sciences Library. She was a volunteer at Westerville Public Library, Lifelong Learning Community at Otterbein, Board of Trustees for the Westerwood retirement center and Westerville Otterbein Women’s Club scholarship initiative. In 2018, she prepared a display for the Otterbein Department of Nursing’s Timeline and a longer book version of their history. 

Burnam has received distinguished awards throughout her career, including selection to participate in a summer seminar titled “An African American Perspective on Scholarship and Pedagogy” and a nomination for the MLK Peace and Justice Award. Her presentations such as “Racism: Its Continuing Presence in American Nursing” and “Nursing’s Historical Development that Influences Nursing in the U.S.” provide rich examples of her expertise and demonstrate her devotion to nursing history. She has also spoken about Lavinia Lloyd Dock, Black nurses in America, women’s suffrage, Florence Nightingale and the history of women’s health. 

Burnam retired as professor emerita from Otterbein University in 2011.