LILLIAN N. RUNNERSTROM (nee Tagliabue), CNM, Phd, FACNM LILLIAN N. RUNNERSTROM (nee Tagliabue), CNM, Phd, FACNM Resident of Shell Point Village, Fort Myers, FL. Born October 1, 1920 in Bayville, NYDied June 12, 2016 Lillian graduated from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in New York and became a Registered Nurse in 1941. She earned a B.S. in 1952 and an M.A. in 1955 from Teacher's College, Columbia University. Lillian was a 1955 Certified Nurse Midwife graduate of the Maternity Center Association Nurse Midwives program. She earned her PhD from New York University in 1963. From 1963 to 1965 Lillian was an assistant professor of maternity nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles. As an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore she led the nurse-midwifery education program there from 1965 to 1969; the first nurse or midwife to hold that position at Johns Hopkins. She was a life member of the American College of Nurse Midwives, serving on many of its committees and as its President from 1967 to 1969. As Professor and head of the Department of Maternal Child Nursing at the University of Illinois College of Nursing, she established their nurse midwifery program in 1972, now recognized nationwide for its excellence. She worked most of her professional career to advance the academic and clinical education for nurse midwives. In 1980 Lillian retired to Florida, remaining active in a local hospital, traveling, and volunteering. As one of her colleges said, "The Institute is dedicated to Dr. Runnerstrom because of her significant contribution to improving the health of women and children in the United States and globally, through her work at the World Health Organization, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, the American College of Nurse Midwives, and the University of Illinois at Chicago." Lillian will be missed by her family and friends. She is survived by her sister, Edith Ryan of Bayville, her son, Eric, her daughter-in-law, Michelle, her grandchildren, Daniel, Katie, Natalie, and Jennifer, and her husband Woody, her granddaughter-in-law, Miryha, and her great grandchildren, Calvin, Ryan and Lia. Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Funeral Information All services are private.