Interview, JoAnn Belle-Isle

JoAnn Belle-Isle was born in Rochester, New York, in 1948. She was raised in the area by her maternal grandmother, who was an Irish immigrant. She graduated from Mercy High School in 1965 and completed her undergraduate degree at what is now SUNY Brockport, where she began as an education major before switching to nursing. She received a master’s degree and post-master’s certificate in pediatric nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. She worked at Genesee Hospital for several years following her graduation and then worked at Strong Hospital for 35 years in pediatric oncology. She retired in 2008.

In this interview JoAnn Belle-Isle discusses her work in pediatrics, her education, and her involvement in the anti-war movement in the 1960s. She explains renting out the house she grew up in, her family’s history, and a trip she took to Ireland with her grandmother. She also discusses being raised by her grandmother and growing up in Rochester.