May Louise Hinton-Wykle, (FAAN, FGSA) is an American nurse, gerontologist, educator, researcher, and the first African-American Marvin E. and Ruth Durr Denekas Endowed Chair at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing of Case Western Reserve University. Wykle also serves as a professor at Georgia Southwestern State University and teaches Geriatric Nursing, Mental Health Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Minority Student Recruitment and Retention.
Early life and education
May Louise Hinton-Wykle was born February 11, 1934, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, to John R. and Florence A. Randall. Wykle graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in rural Ohio. Originally, she wished to attend medical school but decided to switch career paths after working as a nurse's aide for one year at Martins Ferry Hospital. Her grandmother also served as her inspiration when she decided to pursue a career in health care. Her grandparents lived with her when she was young and she often helped her mother care for them. As her grandmother was also very involved and often participated in charity work, she was able to witness first hand how to care for older adults in her community.
She earned her nursing diploma in 1956 at the Ruth Brant School of Nursing in Martins Ferry, Ohio. After graduating, Wykle went on to work as a staff nurse at the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute. There, she gained experience as a head nurse and later, a supervisor. In 1962, she pursued her bachelor's degree in nursing, then returned to the Cleveland Psychiatric Institute as an instructor and director of nursing education. In 1969, Wykle went back to Case Western Reserve University to earn her master's degree in psychiatric nursing and her PhD in nursing, where her teachers were so impressed with her, they asked her to join the faculty. She has been a faculty member there since.
Personal life
May Wykle married William L. Wykle, who passed away January 2, 2019. She currently has two grandchildren, named Alexis and Larry.
Career
Wykle is an expert in the field of aging. She has conducted research in the areas of mental health, physical health, and spirituality among older adults, self-care activities of caregivers and elders, including health promotion, care-giving across the life span, HIV-related care-giving, black-versus-white caregivers and minority elder health. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America, a former Director of a Robert Wood Johnson Teaching Nursing 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.