Breitenstein named Centennial Endowed Professor of Nursing at Ohio State

The Ohio State University Board of Trustees has approved the appointment of Susie Breitenstein, PhD, RN, FAAN, as the Centennial Endowed Professor of Nursing for a five-year term, effective immediately. 

Breitenstein has served as senior associate dean for research in the College of Nursing since 2023 and as a professor since 2022. 

The Centennial Endowed Professorship of Nursing, established in 2020, supports nursing and transdisciplinary research aimed at improving health and healthcare in Ohio, across the United States and around the world. 

Karen Rose, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, dean of the College of Nursing, spoke of Breitenstein’s impact. 

“Dr. Breitenstein’s passion for improving lives shows in everything she does,” said Rose. “She is making a huge impact on our students, our college and healthcare in general. I am so thankful that she is a Buckeye and making her impact here in Ohio.” 

Breitenstein's research, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focuses on strengthening parent-child relationships and supporting healthy child development through accessible parent-training programs. 

She is the principal investigator of an NIH-funded study evaluating the implementation of ezParent, a mobile app that helps parents of young children develop positive behavior management, stress-coping and relationship-building skills. 

She is also the principal investigator of a study examining the effectiveness of web-based parent training combined with telephone coaching for parents of toddlers born very prematurely who are at increased risk for behavioral and developmental challenges. 

In addition to her research, Breitenstein mentors the next generation of nurse scientists and scholars and teaches undergraduate and graduate nursing students. 

Breitenstein began her career as a child and adolescent psychiatric nurse. That experience inspired her research on improving the social and emotional well-being of children and families.