Our Leadership

Eileen K. Fry-Bowers, PHD, JD, RN, CPNP, FAAN

Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions

Dr. Fry-Bowers' unique professional background includes clinical nursing practice and leadership, academic roles in nursing, public health and medicine, service in the United States Navy Nurse Corps, and an education in law and health policy. Specifically, her clinical experience includes caring for adult and pediatric populations across multiple health care settings, including acute care facilities, specialty and community-based clinics, and military facilities. As an educator, she has been a faculty member at schools of nursing, public health, and medicine advancing in rank, role and responsibility.

As a scholar, Dr. Fry-Bower's research has primarily focused on policy analysis and commentary on the care of vulnerable pediatric populations, especially underserved children and youth with special health care needs. As a leader, in addition to senior academic positions, she has managed local, regional and national community-based public health initiatives and served on the board of directors for several not-for-profit organizations and a county commission.

Dr. Fry-Bowers' broad knowledge and expansive skills have prepared her to lead and build the future of nursing and health professions at the University of San Francisco. She is an energetic, motivated and compassionate clinician, educator, scholar and leader whose abilities and aspirations are well suited to supporting the USF School of Nursing and Health Professions' mission and strategic goals.

"The pandemic marks an inflection point for those in nursing and the health professions, and my commitment to transforming health care and eliminate health inequity has never been stronger" said Dr. Fry-Bowers.

Megan O'Banion, PsyD

Senior Associate Dean, School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP)

Dr. O’Banion brings a deep background in leading university-based health professions programs. Her most recent role was Dean of the American School of Professional Psychology (APA-accredited) at Argosy University, where she also previously served as faculty and Director of Clinical Training. Before this position, she taught and held leadership positions in university and clinical settings throughout California educating and training Health Service Psychologists across integrated healthcare treatment settings.

Dr. O’Banion’s academic and clinical work spans a wide range of areas within the health professions, with particular expertise in adolescent psychology, trauma, support for underserved populations, program development, and evidenced-based community outreach. Her commitment to education and training is evident in numerous elected positions within the field.

She is the 2017 President-Elect (Presidential Term 2018-2019) of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP); Northern California Doctoral Program Representative (2015-2018) at the California Psychology Internship Council Board of Directors (CAPIC); and Editorial Board Member (September 2015-present) for the Journal of Clinical Case Reports in the International Journal of Psychology & Behavior Analysis.

Her latest presentation in January 2018, along M.G., Wilson, T., Rothery, C., & Howell, G. called “Power and privilege in today’s classroom: Faculty perspectives” was presented at the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology Mid-Winter 2018 Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

She holds advanced degrees in Clinical Psychology from The Wright Institute (APA-accredited) in Berkeley.

Dr. O’Banion is not only committed to excellence in higher education and the health professions, but also to preparing leaders who leverage their expertise in service of at-risk and high-needs populations.

Erin Grinshteyn

Associate Professor; Associate Dean Health Professions

Dr. Grinshteyn is Associate Professor at USF, and has served the university since 2016, with demonstrated commitment, collaboration, and competence. Her work has been in public health, with an emphasis on teaching, service, and research. Her academic credentials include a doctorate in health services (UCLA), a master's degree in health policy and management (Harvard), and a bachelor's degree in sociology (Brandeis). She chaired the Department of Health Professions and taught innumerable courses in public health, with emphasis on quantitative methods, measurement, and research. She has served on committees in public health as well as in SONHP and the university. Dr. Grinshteyn is also the co-director of the Center for Research, Artistic, and Scholarly Excellence (CRASE) and the Interdisciplinary Committee on Aging (ICA).

Alexa Colgrove Curtis, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC

Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing, Interim Associate Dean for Undergraduate Nursing, Director, MPH-DNP Dual Degree

Alexa C. Curtis received her PhD in nursing from the University of California, San Francisco in the Department of Community Health Systems. She is a practicing family nurse practitioner at a Federally Qualified Rural Health Center in Northern California. Her area of interest includes improving access to under-served populations through advance practice nursing services, particularly for rural youth and other vulnerable populations in rural communities.

Angelica Martinez, MPA

Director of Administration and Operations

Ms. Martinez has over 15 years of relevant administration, operations, and research management experience in higher education institutions both public and private. She provides overall administrative, operational, and financial management of the SONHP. Previously, she served as the Operations Manager for the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine (CDCM) at Stanford University where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations, communications, and activities for the CDCM. Prior to the CDCM, Ms. Martinez was the Associate Director for Administration at the Health Equity Institute, San Francisco State University, where she was responsible for the overall budgetary, hiring, financial, and administrative processes. Ms. Martinez has also served as the Project Director for Gender-Economic Model (GEM) of HIV Risk in African-American and Latina Women at San Francisco State University and as Field Coordinator for the Intergenerational HIV Initiative for Latina Women (also “De Madre a Hija: Protegiendo Nuestra Salud” or “Mija”) at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco.

Jayme Burke, MA

Director of Development

Jayme is passionate about building and supporting stellar education programs and matching donors with giving opportunities that are fulfilling and transformational. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Michigan and an M.A. in English and Writing from San Francisco State University.

Jayme began her fundraising career in public broadcasting and was Director of Foundations at KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco, where she led the cultivation of grants from corporations, foundations, and government agencies for KQED-TV, KQED-FM, and KQED Education.

Prior to joining USF, Jayme was the VP of Foundations at Common Sense Media, a national organization dedicated to improving the media lives of kids and families and VP of Development at Science Buddies, a free, global, online STEM resource that reaches 17 million students, teachers, and parents per year. At the USF School of Nursing and Health Professions, she feels privileged to be able to connect donors through shared values of health care equality and to play a role in educating our students, who will become the next generation of health care leaders.

At home in Half Moon Bay, Jayme is especially proud to be a member of the local Friends of the Library Campaign Committee, which just helped to open a new 22,000 square foot library that includes a quiet reading room with views of the Pacific Ocean.

Carolina Echeverria, MA

Director of Partnerships

Carolina Echeverria is a bilingual, bicultural partnerships executive with experience in designing and leading visibility initiatives, cultivating strategic alliances that strengthen all associates, and bringing together multicultural audiences. She has an M.A. in Communications Psychology, Universidad Iberoamericana; Post-Graduate Certificate in Marketing, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM); and a B.A. in Communications, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City.

Prior to joining the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions, Carolina led public relations and engagement initiatives to enable positive, sustainable social impact campaigns working for Univision Communications. Her career includes a ten-years tenure in marketing and communications research, leading market research and analysis projects to gain a deep understanding of the needs and experiences of multicultural populations for companies of all sizes up to Fortune 500 organizations including Toyota, General Motors, the Coca-Cola Company, and Procter & Gamble, among others.