Full-Time Faculty

Dr. Juli Maxworthy is an academic, innovator and collaborator. During her over 30 years in healthcare, she spent almost 20 years in various roles in critical care in a busy open heart and trauma unit. During that time, Dr. Maxworthy became heavily involved in the shared governance activities within her organization. After realizing that she needed more education to prepare her to take on the challenges of her current and potential future roles she went back to school and completed two Masters...

Dr. McDermott is an Assistant Professor in the Population Health Sciences Department. She received a BA in Religious Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, an MA in Health Policy and Bioethics from George Washington University and a PhD in Health Services Research from University of Washington. Dr. McDermott also completed postdoctoral training in Integrative Medicine Research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. McDermott has worked...

Dr. Meghani is a core faculty member, licensed psychologist, and program director in the School of Nursing and Health Professions Clinical Psychology PsyD program. Her research concerns the promotion of infant and perinatal mental health and family relationships through the design and implementation of inclusive, culturally attuned, evidence-based interventions aimed to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in the transition to parenthood. Dr. Meghani is the founder of Parentline, a free...

Dr. Michelle Montagno an associate professor for the PsyD program in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. As a licensed psychologist, she also practices in San Francisco. A long-time social justice advocate, Dr. Montagno worked in nonprofit and government sectors prior to pursuing a career in clinical psychology. Her areas of clinical and research interest include clinical training, cross-cultural therapy, white racial identity development, and supervision.

For the past 30 years, Dr. Mortell has worked in varied nursing settings, which include medical-surgical nursing, community health, oncology, and psychiatry; currently, she serves as an assistant professor and the current director of the Online RN-MSN program at USF. Her courses include: Ethics and Health Care Policy, Community Health Nursing, Transitions to Graduate Education and Scholarly Writing, Assessment Across the Lifespan, Advanced Pathophysiology and Pharmacology, Informatics, and the...

Dr. Nosek's education includes an ADN/RN from Cabrillo Community College; BA from CSUMB; MPH in Maternal/Child and International Health from UC Berkeley; MS and Certified Nurse Midwife from UCSF; and Ph.D. in Nursing from UCSF. She worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery for 17 years and started teaching at USF in 2007. Since starting at USF, she has taught in multiple programs including the BSN, DNP, MSN, and MPH. As a tenured, Associate Professor, she currently teaches in the MSN...

For more than eight years, Professor O’Malley had the privilege to work in multiple areas of critical care, including on the intensive care unit, the cardiac care unit, and the cardiac surgery unit. He has worked in community hospitals and large teaching facilities, and his certifications include critical care nursing (CCRN), cardiac medicine (CMC), and clinical nurse leader (CNL). Professor O’Malley also works as a nationally certified adult nurse practitioner, and currently specializes in...

Dr. Chuka Okekenta (he/him/his), otherwise called Dr. O by his students, is a registered nurse with a terminal degree from Chamberlain University. He has functioned in a variety of clinical and academic settings including intensive care units, dialysis, stepdown, home health, quality improvement, and colleges. Some of his notable works include design and implementation of healthcare quality improvement processes. His hobbies and interests cover sports and jokes/comedy. Basketball and football...

Dr. Malamud obtained a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology, in San Francisco. Dr. Malamud is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in California, with training and experience in school psychology and neuropsychology, with an emphasis on providing culturally sensitive assessment and psychotherapy services to diverse, underserved clients. During her postdoctoral...

Susan Prion, EdD, RN, CNE, CHSE is the associate dean of and a professor in the nursing department. She holds baccalaureate degrees in biology and chemistry from Muskingum College and a BS in nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She has a master’s degree in nursing from the University of California San Francisco and an MEd in instructional technology from San Jose State University. Professor Prion also holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. She is actively engaged in research...