Suellen Breakey, PhD, RN
- Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor
- Associate Director, Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health
- Nursing
Suellen Breakey, PhD, RN, is Associate Director of the Center for Climate Change, Climate Justice, and Health and a Distinguished Teaching Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at MGH Institute of Health Professions. She teaches in the Doctor of Nursing Practice and accelerated BSN programs. Her clinical background includes cardiac surgery, critical care, hospice care, and global health nursing.
For over 10 years, she was a leader with Team Heart, a nonprofit organization that provides RHD screening, cardiac surgical care and follow-up, and patient/provider education in Rwanda.
Her scholarship interests include the impact of climate change on human health and well-being, bioethics, and global health ethics. Dr. Breakey is a co-author of Global Nursing in the 21st Century, which was published in 2015. She co-chaired the National League for Nursing’s 2022 Vision Statement on Climate Change and Health. Dr. Breakey has published widely and presented locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.
- BS, Biology, Salem State College
- MSN, Critical Care Specialty, MGH Institute of Health Professions
- PhD, Nursing, William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College
Presentations
Nicholas, PK. & Breakey, S. (Invited Keynote), Climate change, climate justice, and environmental health: The role of the Emergency Department Professional, Consortium of Emergency Department Educators, Boston MA, October 2017
Bolman RM., Swain, J., Sinnot, C. Breakey, S., 10-year clinical experience of humanitarian cardiothoracic surgery: building a platform for ultimate sustainability in a resource limited setting. American Association of Thoracic Surgery Centennial Conference, Boston, MA, April 2017
Breakey, S., Partnerships in Global Cardiac Surgery, American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, New Orleans, LA, November 2016
Rugwizangoga, E., Breakey, S., Carragher, J., Katabarwa, A., Patton-Bolman, C., Patient education across the continuum of care. 11th Global Forum on Humanitarian Medicine in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Geneva Switzerland, June 2015
Books
Breakey, S., Corless, I., Meedzan, N., & Nicholas, P., (2015) Global Nursing in the 21st Century, Breakey, S., Corless, I., Meedzan, N., & Nicholas, P. (Eds) New York, Springer Publishing Company
Breakey, S., Corless, I., Meedzan, N., & Nicholas, P. (2015) Test Bank to Accompany Global Nursing in the 21st Century, Breakey, S., Corless, I., & Meedzan, N. (Eds), New York, Springer Publishing Company
Publications
Nicholas, P.K., Breakey, S., Tuck, I., Neal-Boylan, L., Corless, I.B., Reynolds, R., Simmonds, K. (In Press, 2019). Advancing a school of nursing center for climate change, climate justice, and health. Annual Review of Nursing Research.
Neal-Boylan, L., Breakey, S., Nicholas, P. (2019). Integrating climate change concepts into nursing curricula. Journal of Nursing Education, 58(6), 364-368.
Nicholas, P. & Breakey, S. (2019). The economics of climate change and the intersection with conflict, violence, and migration: Implications for the nursing profession. Nursing Economic$
Lilienfeld, E., Nicholas, P., Breakey, S., Corliss, I. (2018). Addressing climate change through a nursing lens within the framework of the SDGs: A scoping review. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 482-494.
Swain, J., Sinnott, C., Breakey, S., Hasson Charles, R., Mody, G…Bolman, RM. (2018). Ten-year clinical experience of humanitarian cardiothoracic surgery in Rwanda: Building a platform for ultimate sustainability in a resource-limited setting, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, 155(6)
Nicholas, P. & Breakey, S. (2017). Climate change, climate justice, and environmental health: Implications for the nursing profession. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. doi: 10.111/jnu.12326