Lorenz, Breitenstein, Tubbs Cooley, McGhee accept leadership positions in academics, research
Dean Karen Rose, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, has announced new leadership roles for four distinguished educators, researchers and nurses at The Ohio State University College of Nursing.
Rebecca A. Lorenz, PhD, RN, will assume the role of senior associate dean for academic affairs and educational innovation, effective October 1. Lorenz started her nursing career in cardiac and ICU units in her native Missouri before turning to academia in 2007. She taught at the Saint Louis University School of Nursing for a decade before moving to the University of Buffalo, where she most recently served as associate professor with tenure, assistant dean of the PhD program and interim associate dean of academic affairs.
Lorenz earned her PhD in Nursing from Saint Louis University and did her post-doctoral work on sleep and functional transitions for older adults at the University of Pennsylvania. The bulk of her research portfolio – which includes support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – focuses on sleep, stress and women’s health issues in older adults. Lorenz will succeed long-time senior associate dean Cindy Anderson, PhD, APRN-CNP, ANEF, FAHA, FNAP, FAAN, who will continue with the college as a professor and researcher within the Martha S. Pitzer Center for Women, Children and Youth.
“I am so humbled, honored and ready to assume this new role at one of the country’s premier colleges of nursing,” Lorenz said. “This is a critical time for nursing education and workforce development in our profession. We need an influx of confident, competent, evidence-based clinicians who can care for an aging population, and our college is uniquely positioned to lead the way. Thank you to Dean Rose for the opportunity and to Dr. Anderson for setting a foundation of nationally-recognized excellence upon which we will continue to build. I can’t wait to get started.”
Three more leadership transitions were announced among current faculty at the College of Nursing:
- Susie Breitenstein, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAAN, took the reins of the college’s research portfolio as senior associate dean for research and innovation, effective August 1. Breitenstein’s NIH-supported research focuses on improving the social and emotional well-being of parents and children, and she serves as a committed mentor to research trainees and early-career investigators. Breitenstein succeeds Mary Beth Happ, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, who in her seven years at the helm saw external grant award funding grow from $4.6 million in 2016 to a record $15.9 million in FY 2023. Happ remains a distinguished professor and will serve as senior advisor for research administration and co-director of the new Caregiver Center for Dementia Care.
- Heather Tubbs Cooley, PhD, RN, FAAN is co-director of the PhD program, effective August 15. She will assume the directorship on January 1, 2024. Tubbs Cooley is director of the Health Services Research Collaborative and is a sought-after national expert in health sciences research. She has a particular passion for mentoring graduate students and fostering collaborative research. Tubbs Cooley will succeed Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, FAAN, who has led the PhD program to significant successes, including sustained institutional NIH T32 grant funding and the new College of Nursing PhD Scholars funding program. Pickler will continue as FloAnn Sours Easton Professor of Child and Adolescent Health.
- Stephen McGhee, DNP, MSc, PGCE, RNT, RN, VR, FNAP, FFNMRCSI, FAAN, now serves as assistant dean of international education initiatives, effective August 1. A native of Scotland, McGhee was recently honored as a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice for his commitment to interprofessional education. He brings his commitment to student success to global/international studies and will work in partnership with Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, the college’s chief talent and global strategy officer, on international education initiatives that benefit students and faculty alike.
“I am so grateful for the dynamic team of passionate experts who will help lead our college forward,” Rose said. “We are in a tremendous position of strength as a college, and I’m so excited about our potential to reach even greater heights as we continue to support and empower students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners in answering their calling to care.”
