Service Award

Mary Astor Gomez, Nurs ’82
Glenview, Ill.

Her skill as a Marquette nurse has given Mary Gomez a diverse four-decade career that has often involved caring for young and vulnerable patients. She has worked in a neonatal intensive care unit, served in the Nurse Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserves, provided critical care to neonatal and pediatric patients on ambulance and helicopter transports and traveled to Haiti and El Salvador to offer remote care as a pediatric nurse practitioner.

Over the last eight years, Mary has worked with Boston Children’s Hospital to help families obtain second opinions and expert advice from physicians at medical centers far from the patient’s home.

In addition to serving her patients and their families, Mary has also continued to contribute to the Marquette community. She serves on the College of Nursing’s Telehealth Virtual Care Accelerator, created to develop innovative ways to deliver digital care. She is also committed to “passing the torch,” mentoring the next generation of nurses, including Marquette students, coaching them on interview skills and resume writing.

She says she does her best to live the Marquette mission. “I always aim for excellence in my work, knowing that a child’s care is in my hands,” she explains. “And I lead and coach to the best of my ability to share any morsel of knowledge I have gained.”

Mary says she is “immensely humbled and honored” to be recognized in this way: “It means that Marquette’s College of Nursing succeeded in taking an 18-year-old young woman and making her dreams come true.”

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
Florence Nightingale and Dr. Janet Wessel Krejci, retired dean of the Marquette College of Nursing.

What is one of your favorite Marquette memories?
Sibling Weekend, Senior Week, and snowball fights on Wisconsin Avenue during a blizzard.

Leave a congratulatory message for Mary!