Dr. Eileen Fry-Bowers Appointed Dean of the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions Effective July 1, 2022
SAN FRANCISCO (April 14, 2022) – The University of San Francisco (USF) has announced that nursing and public health leader, clinician, professor and administrator Dr. Eileen Fry-Bowers has been appointed to the role of dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP). Dr. Fry-Bowers will begin her time at USF on July 1, 2022 following the departure of current Interim Dean Patricia F. Pearce.
“Eileen is a compassionate clinician, a dedicated scholar and teacher, an experienced administrator, and an innovative leader with a deeply held commitment to health equity and social justice,” said Dr. Chinyere Oparah, USF provost and vice president of academic affairs. “I am very pleased that Eileen will be joining our community, and I look forward to partnering with her to shape the future of nursing and health professions at USF."
Incoming Dean Fry-Bowers joins USF from the University of San Diego (USD), where she serves as associate provost for research administration, overseeing the research enterprise at USD, including the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Institutional Review Board, and the Office of Undergraduate Research. She is a professor in USD’s Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science and a scholar whose current research and policy interests focus on child and family health and well-being; the effect of legislative and regulatory change on the development of health and delivery of health care; and practice, legal, and ethics issues in healthcare workforce education.
Dr. Fry-Bowers is an academic leader, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, a Navy veteran, a member of the State Bar of California with experience in law and health policy, and a public policy advocate with a record of bringing together local, regional, and national stakeholders to drive change in public health. She has extensive clinical and administrative experience in nursing and higher education and is an advocate for improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations, especially underserved children and youth with special health care needs.
“The pandemic marks an inflection point for nursing and the health professions,” said Incoming Dean Fry-Bowers. “We have a real opportunity to change the conversation, to move it from being about delivering health care, to being about developing health and eliminating health inequity. I am thrilled to be joining the University of San Francisco as dean of SONHP at this pivotal time.”
In addition to more than 15 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Fry-Bowers brings decades of clinical experience across multiple health care settings, including acute care facilities, specialty and community-based clinics, and military facilities. She is a thought leader in healthcare education and public health who serves as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and chairs the academy’s Expert Panel on Child, Adolescent and Family. She works on the AACN Essentials Task Force, which re-envisioned the guiding document for prelicensure and advanced nursing education. In addition, she co-founded an academic health policy institute and a regional health policy fellowship.
Incoming Dean Fry-Bowers earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loma Linda University, a master’s degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and a juris doctor from Whittier Law School. She earned a PhD, with an emphasis in health services, from UCLA School of Nursing. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA in the care of vulnerable populations research with a focus on child health policy.
About the USF School of Nursing and Health Professions
The School of Nursing and Health Professions advances the mission of the university by leading in innovative solutions to health inequities and transforming healthcare using evidence-informed approaches. For more information, visit our website.
About the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is a private, Jesuit Catholic university that reflects the diversity, optimism, and opportunities of the city that surrounds it. USF offers more than 230 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, law, education, and nursing and health professions. At USF, each course is an intimate learning community in which top professors encourage students to turn learning into positive action, so the students graduate equipped to do well in the world — and inspired to change it for the better. For more information, visit usfca.edu.