Remembering Stephanie Klipp
The Pittsburgh Recovery Walk community remembers and celebrates Stephanie Klipp, a registered nurse, a person with lived experience, a fierce harm reductionist, and a tireless advocate. Stephanie’s impact on recovery in Pittsburgh and beyond was immeasurable, driven by a desire to be, as her wife Deanna wrote in her obituary, “the antidote to the stigma and harm she watched the health system propagate.”
After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Penn State University in 2013, she was initially drawn to the energy and organized chaos of the emergency department. However, she ultimately felt a calling to addictions nursing, driven by an intimate understanding of the need for compassion and respect in every interaction. A testament to her dedication, Stephanie was the 2019 recipient of the Pittsburgh Recovery Walk’s Recovery Pathway Supporter Award, recognizing her work to broaden the range of recovery pathways available in the greater Pittsburgh area, championing MOUD, harm reduction, and alternative peer support. From her early work at UPMC, creating bridge programs for patients leaving the hospital and addressing HIV and addiction, to her later roles at Allegheny Health Network and Prevention Point Philadelphia, she embodied the true spirit of harm reduction, treating everyone with love and kindness. Stephanie’s work extended beyond traditional healthcare settings; she was a radical force for change, transforming systems to be truly responsive to the needs of people experiencing health and social challenges. She touched countless organizations and inspired a generation of providers to see the humanity in every patient.
“If I had to choose one word to describe Steph, it would be magnetic,” shares Rachel Shuster, a Certified Addictions Registered Nurse and volunteer with the Pittsburgh Recovery Walk. “Even before meeting in person, I was drawn to Stephanie’s energy and knew she would be the perfect fit at our expanding Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence. Steph wasn’t just a colleague; she was a friend who understood the complexities of this work on a deeply personal level and who showed up for friends and colleagues in the same way in which she did for her patients. She lived by example, with a compassionate, nonjudgmental approach to everyone she encountered.”
Jess Williams from the Pittsburgh Recovery Walk Executive Committee remembers, “Steph had an amazing presence, and what’s tough about that is that a lot of us really feel her absence. It’s especially hard to lose someone so young. But she sure used what time she had to make a lot of positive change, and, in my view, she really lived the values of the Pittsburgh Recovery Walk. Grateful to have known Steph, thankful for her contributions, and so sad to have lost her.”
Stephanie’s journey was marked by a profound connection to others. She met her wife, Deanna, in Pittsburgh in 2017, and their deep connection blossomed. Their son, Elliott, was born just after midnight on October 5, 2024. Though Stephanie suffered cardiac arrest shortly before Elliott’s birth, she held on long enough to meet him before transitioning on October 7, 2024. As her obituary notes, Stephanie believed the most important role in healthcare was “to provide love and hope to patients dealing with addiction even when they had run out of hope themselves.”
The Pittsburgh Recovery Walk is honored to recognize Stephanie Klipp’s enduring legacy by memorializing the Recovery Pathway Supporter Award in her name, starting in 2025. Stephanie’s life was a testament to compassion, advocacy, and an unwavering belief in the hope of recovery. We remember Stephanie, and through this award, her spirit will continue to guide us. Stephanie will forever be cherished by her wife, Deanna, and their son, Elliott, as well as her family and friends. Her immeasurable influence will continue to ripple through the countless providers she inspired, the trainees they will teach, and the patients for whom they will care.
