Constance Urciolo Battle, M.D.
Eleanor Roosevelt is attributed with the quote, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” Dr. Constance Urciolo Battle cast a bright shining light for the families who found understanding, support and quality care from a doctor who refused to look the other way.
Dr. Battle is both nationally and internationally recognized for her contributions to the field of Peiatrics, especially for her innovative approaches to the medical treatment, hospitalization, and care of children with disabilities. As Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital for Sick Children, she directed and expanded a complex, multi-disciplinary institution that serves severely handicapped children. Under her leadership, the Hospital for Sick Children grew from a small pediatric nursing home to an accredited pediatric rehabilitation specialty hospital with a 130 bed capacity. During her 18 years as leader of the Hospital for Sick Children, Dr. Battle developed model programs, trained staff, and helped with the post-graduate education of physicians.
Among her professional colleagues, Dr. Battle is recognized as an expert in her field. A Board Certified Pediatrician, she holds an academic appointment as a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Children’s National Medical Center, as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health and a Visiting Clinical Professor of Pedodontics at Howard University. She has authored more than 50 articles, book chapters, and monographs dealing primarily with children, their families, and professional care providers in the management of developmental disabilities.
After receiving an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Trinity College, Dr. Battle graduated from the George Washington University School of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in pediatrics at the Univeristy of Rochester in New York. In 1972, she was awarded a Health Services and Research Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for study at the Center for Health Administration Studies, Graduate School of Business of the University of Chicago.
As a fellow in the Creating Healthier Communities Fellowship of the Healthcare Forum during 1993, Dr. Battle worked on an Action Research Project for HIV+AIDS adolescent mothers and their children. The project evolved into a collaborative effort between the National Institutes of Health and the Hospital for Sick Children, becoming the Minority Adolescent Community Initiative (MACI). Dr. Battle was appointed the Principal Investigator of the MACI Project.
Dr. Battle has received numerous honors from professional societies, organizations, and civic groups. A reflection of her leadership is demonstrated by her election to leadership positions in many educational and medical institutions, among them, President of the District of Columbia Hospital Association, National President of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA), and National President of the Association for the Care of Children’s Health. Other positions include National President of the...associated, Dr. Battle has made significant and lasting contributions.
This impressive record is not the entire story. Dr. Battle's contributions to her community, women, and youth are equally impressive. She has served as a mentor for women premedical students, medical students, and physician colleagues. Despite her quiet, unassuming manner, she has worked through organizations and anonymously as an advocate for women and girls. She served as a consultant to the Howard University Department of Pediatrics and Child Health to strengthen the Child Development Center. She is sensitive to issues related to minority populations. For that reason, she was chosen as a consultant to the Institiue for Urban Affairs On Coping In Black Families With Handicapped Children.
Dr. Battle is a native daughter of Maryland, born in Baltimore. For the past 26 years, she has resided in Maryland. Her father graduated from the Univeristy of Maryland. Her younger son received his undergraduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Dr. Battle is Executive Director of the National Institutes of Health Foundation, located in Bethesda, Maryland.
Her many awards and honors are a testament to the esteem with which Dr. Battle is held by the larger community. Dr. Battle is a distinguished physician, national and community leader, mentor, and humanitarian. She has served as a beacon for all who aspire to make the world a better place.