March 16, 2001

E. Lorraine Baugh

Anurse, professor, scholar, teacher and leader – with this array of titles and accomplishments, E. Lorraine Baugh has earned the accolade "phenomenal woman." In an effort to share her wisdom and life lessons with women still "struggling to see themselves as phenomenal," Baugh came to the Burr Conference Room March 8 at the invitation of the Association of Multicultural Members of Partners (AMMP). Her presentation was both a speech of inspiration and a celebration of March as Women's History Month.

Baugh is a lauded figure on the Boston landscape. A former staff nurse at Boston City Hospital and flight nurse in the U.S. Air Force, she also has crafted a lengthy career in academia, having taught at many area universities – including the Harvard School of Public Health. In addition, Baugh has carved out a niche for herself as a businesswoman, having formerly served as the president and CEO of Charles River Hospital and now serving as the president and CEO of Lena Park Community Development Corporation. She was a member of the MGH Board of Trustees for 13 years, resigning in 1995 to head Charles River Hospital.

Baugh's eloquent words kept her audience of MGH employees – men as well as women – captivated; many nodded their heads in identification with the stories she spun and the advice she delivered. "Women wear a lot of labels," she said. "Some are ascribed, some are earned. Some are positive, some are negative. But I learned early, as a black female growing up in a Boston housing project, that someone's opinion of me does not have to be my reality."

Despite her wealth of successes, Baugh's life has not been without tragedy. At the height of her career, she was afflicted with Bell's palsy, an ailment that left her face partially paralyzed and her spirits shattered – almost. Describing her fear at the prospect of continuing to deliver national addresses and presentations with a disfigurement, Baugh related the decision that propelled her to continue her work. "I asked myself, 'Is the status of my face going to change my intentions, my accomplishments or my mind?'" Donning a pair of sunglasses, she continued her speaking engagements.

In 1985, Baugh was diagnosed with breast cancer; two weeks later, her husband died. Even while recovering from these double tragedies and undergoing a mastectomy shortly thereafter, Baugh remained committed to "going on in life and facing it." She took over her husband's architectural and engineering business, made it a success and closed it only to take on her own duties as a prominent figure in Massachusetts health care.

Following a question-and-answer session, Ronald A. Greene, RN, BSN, chair of AMMP, presented Baugh with a mirror engraved with an etching of the MGH.

Urging everyone in the audience to find a mentor for guidance and strength, Baugh left the audience with a rousing poem by Maya Angelou. Appropriately, she concluded with the lines, "I'm a woman. Phenomenally, that's me."