Colleagues Spark Living Legacy in Women's Health
Diane C. Nordin, Lydia Pace, MD, MPH, Pamela Dippel Choney, and Kim Williams; back row (left to right):
Tee Taggart, Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, Deborah L. Allinson, and Clare Villari.
Blessed with keen intellect, good humor, and unshakeable calm, Mary Ann Tynan was a beacon of light to family, friends, and colleagues. Tynan shared these qualities generously throughout her career, initially as a partner at Wellington Management Company and then, upon retiring, in her volunteer leadership roles at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (BWFH).
Particularly passionate about advancing women’s health, her service on the BWH Women’s Health Leadership Council and the BWFH board brought about lasting change for patients and their families.
Tynan’s untimely passing in November 2013 inspired seven of her former female colleagues, also retired partners from Wellington, to ignite a living legacy that will benefit patients for decades to come: the Mary Ann Tynan Fellowship in Women’s Health at BWH.
Collective gifts from Tynan’s colleagues initially established the endowed fellowship fund, which has since grown to $1.4 million and continues to increase thanks to contributions from 39 additional donors to date.
“On behalf of my good friends, we are thrilled to carry on Mary Ann’s legacy and look forward to seeing the accomplishments of the Tynan Fellows, who will work passionately to advance the care of women,” says Tynan’s longtime friend and former Wellington colleague Deborah Allinson.
“I am honored that seven of Mary Ann’s colleagues, all remarkable leaders, planted the seeds for such a vibrant tribute in support of women’s healthcare and research,” says Paula Johnson, MD, MPH, executive director of the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology at BWH. “Mary Ann was a continual source of strategic guidance, was wise beyond measure, and was an incredible ambassador for our work.”
Tynan, a pioneer in her field, became the third woman elected partner at Wellington, a global asset management firm. Committed to empowering female professionals, she mentored many colleagues—including the seven initial donors to the Tynan Fellowship. After retiring from Wellington in 2002, Tynan turned her attention to advancing women’s healthcare by volunteering in executive-level planning and advising capacities at BWH and BWFH. She was also a devoted mother and role model to her two daughters.
“Mary Ann was impeccably honest and straightforward,” says Allinson. “She had an intuitive sense to do the right thing, and infused the Brigham and Women’s community with her excellence, insight, and spirit of collaboration. We take comfort in knowing her exceptional work will live on through the fellowship.”
Update: To mark the anniversary of her passing and celebrate her profound impact on the hospitals, Tynan’s close friends, family, and colleagues gathered to commemorate the November 3rd opening of the Mary Ann Tynan Conference Center at BWFH. Located in the 4th floor administrative wing and comprising 1,600 square feet, the new conference center will host leadership meetings, staff training and development courses, and special events to celebrate achievements. Tynan deeply valued the importance of taking time for these gatherings, and often said they were personal highlights of the Faulkner year for her.
Additionally, Lydia Pace, MD, MPH, who recently joined the faculty of the Division of Women’s Health in the Department of Medicine, has been named the first recipient of the Mary Ann Tynan Fellowship in Women’s Health. As the inaugural fellow, she will focus her efforts on understanding how delivery of healthcare services can be optimized for women, especially the most vulnerable women in the United States.