Susan Kaplan ‘has tremendous passion for helping others’

The URI College of Health Sciences honored the career of an alumna who has made a tremendous impact on health care with one of the College’s highest honors during the Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony on Oct. 5.

Susan Hamer Kaplan ’78, M.S. ’80, is a speech and language pathologist, with a private therapy practice helping those with neurological impairments. With more than 30 years of experience, Kaplan chairs the Miriam Hospital Foundation board of trustees and is a member of the hospital’s Medical Credentials Committee. She also serves on Lifespan’s Quality Oversight Committee, and on the College of Health Sciences Advisory Council.

Additionally, Kaplan is a trustee of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, a nonprofit providing financial support to cancer patients in New England. The Foundation helps alleviate financial and emotional stress by providing grants to assist with rent/mortgage payments, utilities and other household expenses. The relief is intended to allow grant recipients to focus on their fight against cancer and not on the financial distress that comes with it.

“Susan has been passionate about quality health care since her days as a student at the University of Rhode Island,” College of Health Sciences Dean Gary Liguori said in presenting Kaplan with the award. “Susan has a tremendous passion for helping others, which is reflective in not only her work and volunteer efforts, but also in her contributions to the Health Sciences Advisory Council, where she is a champion for various initiatives, and where her passion for all things URI are wonderfully evident.”