She currently is a Delegate for the Order of Malta’s Mission at the United Nations, focused on human trafficking and the global refugee crisis. She recently co-founded Global Strategic Operatives for the Eradication of Human Trafficking. She provides educational and training presentations to healthcare providers, airline personnel, government employees, corporations and universities on human trafficking. She works closely with Homeland Security and law enforcement. Deb is currently working with large US healthcare delivery systems in a global pilot to create universal standards and policies for the healthcare sector. She supports an anti-human trafficking educational exhibit in Haiti which rotates regularly around the country. Deb participated in the Catholic Church’s new Pastoral Orientations on Human Trafficking at the Vatican last spring.

 

Deb founded Nurses With Global Impact, Inc. in 2016 as a resource for nurses and to recognize those doing extraordinary work and making a global impact in healthcare. She has a passion for healthcare missions: Haiti (15+ years), Philippines, Dominican Republic and Bosnia Herzogovina, where she was a member of a Crisis Intervention Team with National Organization for Victim’s Assistance (NOVA) of Washington, DC, to work with women and girls who survived rape camps. She was a member of the Federal Disaster Medical Team that was deployed to NYC on 9/11/01.  

 

Deb is an active member on a number of non-profit boards: former two term Board of Councilor with the Order of Malta, American Association, and continues as a member of the Medical Committee for the annual Lourdes Pilgrimage. Deb also sits on the boards of Malteser International Americas, RAD-AID, Int’l, World Youth Alliance, the Gold Foundation, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center. She is a former member of the CRUDEM Board for 8 years, chaired the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, was on the Board of Boston’s Healthcare for the Homeless Program for 5 years, and spent 4 years on the Board of the American Heart Association as Chair of Public Advocacy. 

 

Deb was the Director of Respect Life Education for the Archdiocese of Boston for 8 years. She continues to teach the late John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. She helped start-up Pure in Heart, a 501(C3) young adult life and chastity ministries in Boston, Haiti, Kenya, Ireland and UK. 

 

Deb was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Boston. She is married to Steve Rusckowski and they now reside in NYC.