Gladys Mouro was born and raised in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In 1976 she received her B.S. in Nursing from the American University of Beirut. In 1983 she received her MS in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and was elected to membership in Sigma Theta, an honorary nursing society.Mouro began her career as a staff nurse at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in 1976 and rose through the ranks to the position of Director of Nursing Services in 1983. In 1988 she initiated a three-year Diploma Program in Nursing that has a present enrollment of 90 students. She was awarded the Silver Order of Health by the Lebanese government in 1994. In January 1995 she was appointed Assistant Hospital Director of American University of Beirut Medical Center.