Discovery Society: Donna Dittman Hale

By Holly Prestidge

By the time Donna Dittman Hale learned of the VCU Institute for Women’s Health and was connected to its founder and champion, Susan Kornstein, M.D., she was already inspired by other women at VCU she met throughout her life.     

There was Sherry Kohlenberg, a 1st year student Hale was assigned to mentor while Hale was earning her master’s degree in health administration from the VCU College of Health Professions in the early 1980s.  

Hale described Kohlenberg as an “amazing spark,” a caring soul whose life ended too early when she died at age 37 from breast cancer. Following her death, the Sherry Kohlenberg Scholarship was established in her honor to support students with a demonstrated commitment to advancing women in health administration.  

I’ve learned so many things through conversations about women’s health research – it’s just astonishing and it’s research that’s happening right here at VCU.

Donna Dittman Hale, member, MCV Foundation Discovery Society

Another inspiration was Pam Parsons, Ph.D., a registered nurse who founded the VCU Mobile Health and Wellness Program, which today offers weekly clinical services at Dominion Place, a community dwelling for low-income residents near campus. Parsons died in 2023, but Hale said she was instrumental in connecting services in Richmond to those in Tappahannock, particularly following VCU Health’s acquisition of the hospital there in 2021.  

When Hale reached a point in her life when she wanted to give back financially, she simply looked to the women in her life who were already impacting their communities.  

“My support has really followed these extraordinary women,” said Hale, whose own career spanned decades leading and consulting for nonprofit healthcare organizations such as the Peninsula AIDS Foundation, the Williamsburg Health Foundation, homeless shelters, and the Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance, of which VCU Health was a founding member. 

But her giving is also personal.   

Hale credits VCU with providing care that extended her mother’s life during treatment for ovarian cancer.  

“It was intense, but we felt supported by excellent clinicians,” she said. “Without VCU, my mother probably wouldn’t have had the final five years of her life.” 

A longtime supporter of the National Women’s Health Network until its closure in 2024, Hale said learning about women’s health research at VCU has been a continuation of that passion. She’s proud to make connections now by hosting lunches for other women who want to know more about what’s happening on the MCV Campus.  

“It’s been really exciting for me to host those,” she said. “I’ve learned so many things through conversations about women’s health research – it’s just astonishing and it’s research that’s happening right here at VCU.”  

Hale admits that her career path differed from many of her peers who pursued hospital administration after earning their degrees.  

She wanted to make a difference on the ground, to help people who needed it the most, and she found that what made her heart the happiest was helping nonprofit organizations unlock their potential.  

There were periods of her life that underscored her life’s work.  

Her twin brother contracted AIDS at the height of the epidemic, when she became executive director of the Peninsula AIDS Foundation. He passed away at 32. 

“My inner spirit was telling me I had to do this,” she said. “It was a mandate.”  

As a consultant, she excelled in grant resource development and leadership transitions. She served as executive director of the Bay Rivers Telehealth Alliance, an organization that continues to work to support telehealth services, and prepared organizations to implement system-wide transitions when the COVID pandemic made telehealth a household word.  

“The common thread that ran throughout my career was consortium building and collaboration,” she said.  

In recent years, Hale began attending MCV Foundation Discovery Series events. She appreciates the opportunity to learn from experts from across the health system who offer insights and guidance on many areas of healthcare. Connections made during these events also assisted her in finding the right care team to help her through a hip replacement. 

“Unless I win the lottery, I’m not someone who will have a building named after me,” Hale said. “But I want to encourage people to give because any kind of support is meaningful.” 

If you are interested in learning more about the MCV Foundation’s outreach initiatives in Williamsburg or Richmond, please contact Brian Thomas, MCV Foundation executive vice president and chief development officer.