Program Notes
Regardless of your opinion on abortion, my recent conversation with Patrice D’Amato
will provide information that is both essential and enlightening to all women. From her
experiences of having emergency room staff regularly calling to ask for assistance and
tutelage on how to treat a patient in their hospital, due to the lack of training while in
medical school, to the awareness that abortion is no safer in blue states than red states,
her depth and breadth of experience sheds new light on the experience. This
conversation was so fascinating and educational that it spanned 2 episodes. I welcome
you to listen in and to offer your comments, from any perspective. Engaging in civil
discourse on any topic is the path to mutual understanding and sussing out previously
unrecognized points of educational benefit.

Bio
Patrice D’Amato has spent 38 years as a practicing nurse in both clinical and academic
settings with a focus on adult medical surgical, critical care, gerontology, and women’s
health. After practicing as a women’s health nurse practitioner in abortion care more
than 20 years ago, she left clinical practice to teach nursing at the university level.
An award-winning educator, Patrice has served as a university course director for a top-
ranked school of nursing. She also serves as a project director for an international
health organization dedicated to providing education opportunities in developing
countries.
Patrice’s passion for nursing started early in childhood as she saw the deep pride and
satisfaction her mom and grandmother derived from the early era of professional
nursing. She feels fortunate to have been able to delve into a variety of specialties to
witness and support people through birth, death, and everything in between. Patrice’s
love of both science and spirituality, and how they intersect in the natural world, has
guided her to teach and mentor students for many years. She also immensely enjoys a
good laugh from her fondness of the world’s quirks and reminders not to take herself or
anyone else too seriously.

Born in New York, Patrice now lives in Maryland. In her free time, she volunteers as a
hospice singer and teaches conversational English in Spanish-speaking countries such
as Spain and Peru. She is an avid Zumba enthusiast, hiker, and lover of historical
fiction.