Home Project, and a recipient of a Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. Since joining Case Western Reserve University in 1969, she has held various teaching and research positions including a joint appointment as Director of Nursing at Hanna Pavilion of University Hospitals of Cleveland, Chairperson of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Dean of nursing at the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing. In 1993, Wykle was a delegate and served on the Planning Committee of the White House Conference on Aging. Wykle was the first recipient of the "Pope Eminent Scholar" at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving in 1999 and still serves on the Board of Directors. In 1999, Wykle was elected President of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. In 2005, Wykle became a Director of American Red Cross's Greater Cleveland Chapter. In 2011, Sigma Theta Tau announced that Wykle would be inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. In this same year, she served as the President of the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research. In the summer of 2013, Wykle stepped in as an interim dean at the Cuyahoga Community College to help the school navigate its issues with accreditation. Professional awards 1985 NIMH Geriatric Mental Health Academic Award 1992 The Outstanding Researcher in the State of Ohio from the Ohio Research Council on Aging 1993 Delegate and Member of the Planning Committee of the White House Conference on Aging 1999 Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Nursing Profession 1999 The Leadership Award for Excellence in Geriatric Care from the Midwest Alliance in Nursing 1999 President of The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International 1999 First recipient of the Pope Eminent Scholar at the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving 1999 The Belle Sherwin Award for Distinguished Nursing Professional of the Year from the Cleveland Visiting Nurse Association 2000 Doris Schwartz Nursing Research Award from the Gerontological Society of America 2009 Case Western Reserve University Distinguished Alumni Award 2010 American Nurses Association's Mary Mahoney Award Work on minority representation During her career as nurse and educator, May Wykle made it her mission to open up the field of nursing to more minorities. From being denied admission to several nursing schools due to her race, she became the first African American to be