Innovations Born Of Polio Epidemics

Susan L. Schoenbeck, MSN, RN, is a retired nurse educator, author, international speaker, and advocate for polio survivors. She earned her BSN and MSN from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in medical-surgical critical care, nursing education, and research.

Her nursing career spans more than five decades and includes roles as a clinical nurse specialist, education nurse specialist, nursing faculty member, nursing program director, director of nursing services, nursing-home surveyor, and nurse consultant/paralegal in medical malpractice cases. She taught nursing at Walla Walla University and other institutions and developed continuing-education programs for healthcare professionals on topics including poliomyelitis and autism.

Schoenbeck has authored numerous professional and public-interest articles and several books, including The Final Entrance: Journeys Beyond Life, Near-Death Experiences: Visits to the Other Side, Good Grief: Daily Meditations, Zen and the Art of Nursing, Heaven and Angels, and POLIO GIRL: It Only Takes One.

Her speaking and writing focus on nursing, spirituality, grief, death and dying, near-death experiences, polio, post-polio challenges, disability advocacy, and resilience. She co-founded the Voices of Polio Survivors Virtual Museum and regularly presents internationally to polio survivor organizations and disability advocacy groups. Her work reflects a lifelong commitment to education, compassionate care, storytelling, and service.