The School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco Names Dr. Patricia F. Pearce to Interim Dean Post
SAN FRANCISCO (August 26, 2021) – The School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP) at the University of San Francisco has announced that nursing leader Dr. Patricia F. Pearce has assumed the role of interim dean. Dr. Pearce has extensive experience in administration, education, research, practice, and advocacy, having led several nursing and health related programs and health care initiatives in academic and practice since 1995. Dr. Pearce has state and national experience in leadership.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Pearce leading the School of Nursing and Health Professions, given her long term commitment to Jesuit education and her passion for preparing health professionals for careers in a dynamic and challenging world,” said USF Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Chinyere Oparah. “Dr. Pearce is a collaborative and compassionate servant leader who cares deeply about students and faculty, and about our responsibility to the wider community.”
Most recently, Dr. Pearce served as Chair in Nursing and Health at Clarke University (Iowa). Prior to her time at Clarke, she served at Loyola University New Orleans as DNP Program Coordinator, Director in the School of Nursing, and Interim Dean in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies, transitioning it to the inaugural College of Nursing and Health in January 2019.
“I am honored to lead a remarkable faculty, staff, and administrative leadership team in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, dedicated to educating an impressive group of students,” stated Interim Dean Pearce. “Nursing and health professions graduates are critically important during our current times of crises, and of great innovation and progress. I’m looking forward to focusing my leadership on augmenting the already strong sense of Jesuit mission, diversity, community engagement, and high standards in the SONHP, to move us successfully forward.”
With her extensive experience in online and on-the-ground teaching, she has directed numerous initiatives at several universities and professional organizations. She has been widely published and has presented on a local, national, and international basis.
Dr. Pearce is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, as well as a Fellow and Distinguished Scholar in the National Academies of Practice. She has served on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, as well as state Nurse Practitioner organizations in Louisiana, Utah, and Alabama. She is also a past-Chair of the American Nurses Foundation Scholarships and Grants.
Dr. Pearce completed her BS in Nursing and BA in History at Loyola University New Orleans, her MPH at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine New Orleans, and a Masters in Nursing at Mississippi University for Women. She earned her PhD (Nursing, Minor in Information Science) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
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 usfca.edu/nursing.
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.