Civic Engagement Academy Council Members
Betteanne (Elizabeth) Riegle
- Clinical Associate Professor
- School of Nursing
- 908 Kimball Tower
- Phone: (716) 829-3231
- E-mail: riegleba@buffalo.edu
- Website: http://nursing.buffalo.edu/faculty/riegle.asp
Nursing is my passion and profession and has been since I was an undergraduate. Public health is my area of interest and has facilitated my involvement in service and outreach, a tenet that carries forth in both my professional and personal life. I believe that everyone needs to be an integral part of the community, be it local or global, and the only way to do that is to be involved. My teaching involves economic, social, and environmental components of health care delivery, as well as, population focused health issues, thus, there always exists an opportunity to make a difference. From public health nurse to professor, I have worked with infants and children in urban areas, assisted with community assessments in Western New York and the British Virgin Islands, and participated in disaster preparedness. At some point in my career, I have focused on all groups along the age continuum and multiple community initiatives from literacy to immunizations.
I believe that the classroom goes beyond the university campus, and as a citizen, one needs to be actively engaged in understanding people, neighborhoods, and assisting in empowering others. Students can be leaders today; they don’t need to wait until tomorrow. A desire to make a difference, a commitment to serve, and a willingness to learn and share is all it takes.