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ESG 50 Anniversary Fellow Profile
IRENE O’BOYLE

Irene O’Boyle, PhD, RMCHES

Professor Emeritus
School of Health Sciences
Central Michigan University

Dr. O’Boyle has worked in public health in many national SOPHE conference I was able to make contacts
capacities for over 25 years. She was Director of with individuals from the national-level ESG
Community Health and Education at Mid-Michigan leadership. In 2008, Kelly Bishop Alley, appointed me to
District Health Department before coming to Central the position of Director of Chapter Development. This
Michigan University. Dr. O’Boyle retired as Professor was a great beginning with national ESG leadership until
Emeritus in 2015. During her tenure with Eta Sigma the spring of 2016 when I officially retired from the
Gamma she has had the opportunity to serve as Chapter University and my role as Director of Chapter
Advisor and as the National Director of Chapter Development.
Development. For the past 14 years Dr. O’Boyle has
served her community on the Board of Directors for Please describe your most meaningful contribution –
Community Mental Health and chairperson for the past your legacy so to speak - to ESG.
eight years. She also serves on several regional and state
committees for Mental Health and enjoys speaking at the During my eight years as Director of Chapter Development
state conference. I was able to oversee the installation of 11 new chapters,
one in Canada and ten in the U.S. I personally revised the
How did your involvement with your local Eta Sigma Initiation/Installation Procedures and Rituals. I was also
Gamma begin? part of a team over the years that revised the Manual for
New Initiates, ESG Handbook (2012), Bylaws (2015) and
In the fall of 2001 I was hired as Assistant Professor at Constitution (2015). In 2012 I helped develop a webinar
Central Michigan University and I became the advisor for for chapter sponsors to strengthen local chapters and served
the local Eta Sigma Gamma chapter. I knew this was a as the guest editor for the 2014 Health Education Student
perfect match from the beginning and later became a Monograph Series, Volume 29, Number 4.
lifetime member of ESG. I loved the additional time I could
spend with the students on projects that included research, Which one thing do you wish you had done differently?
service and education.
I wish I could have spent more time with the chapter
What led to your becoming involved in national-level sponsors at the national meetings. It would have been
leadership of ESG? helpful to give them an opportunity for networking with
other chapter sponsors.
I was always very interested and involved in Eta Sigma
Gamma. During my tenure as chapter advisor I made Whom were you most influenced by professionally?
contacts with other advisors in Michigan. I was a member How/ Why?
of the Great Lakes Chapter of SOPHE and their National
Delegate and served national SOPHE as a member of the One of my biggest influences was Dr. Mohammad
Board of Trustees and House of Delegates. It was at a Torabi. He always lead by example and was never too

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