Scholastica Alumnae leading the way in pediatric palliative care and advancing educational equity
- Benedictine Sisters of Chicago
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
Updated: May 5
By Susan Clark
Our Winter/Spring 2025 issue of Sacro Speco magazine featured a new alumnae profiles section. This issue profiled Brittany Hogan of the Class of 2003 - an educator, advocate, and leader dedicated to advancing educational equity - and Jennifer Walter, MD, PhD, MS of the Class of 1994 - Director of the Department of Medical Ethics at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and an attending physician with the hospital's Pediatric Advanced Care Team.
Brittany Hogan '03
Brittany Hogan is an educator, advocate, and leader dedicated to advancing educational equity. With a career rooted in student centered, culturally responsive practices, she has worked tirelessly ensuring all students have access to barrier-free learning environments.
St. Scholastica is where I truly learned the value of serving others. I don’t think I would have become a social worker and educator without experiences like Mr. Donahue’s sophomore Theology class, where I first explored global social justice issues. My deep love for studying world religions—and my belief in the importance of helping young people understand different perspectives—was sparked by my senior-year World Theology class with Sister Susan. At St. Scholastica, I gained focus and discovered that my life’s purpose would be rooted in serving those who are unable to stand up for themselves.
Jennifer Walter, MD, PhD, MS '94
Dr. Walter’s work as a clinician, ethicist, and researcher is focused on improving communication and shared decision-making between healthcare providers and families of children with serious illness. She has worked at the intersection of clinical practice and bioethics emphasizing the physician-patient relationship and family-centered care.
St. Scholastica instilled in me the importance of advocating for the most vulnerable in our society. Those of us who were given many privileges and resources had a responsibility to be stewards not only of the earth, but of our fellow humans and to find ways to be of service to them. I also witnessed the commitment and selflessness of the sisters in the community to the work of educating us. While they did not have necessarily have a lot of power in the world, they worked to empower us and to have us believe in ourselves as people and as women. They demonstrated that small acts of resistance that aligned with their values could be a real light in difficult times. I have tried to carry those lessons forward and have the courage to speak up for those who are more vulnerable.
