Faculty

Dr. Hubbell is the program director for the undergraduate nursing program and has taught in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs at USF since 2017, including courses on evidence-based practice and health assessment. She currently teaches Applied Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology I in the BSN program. Dr. Hubbell's scholarly work has focused on advance care planning and improving end of life care, particularly for homeless and underserved populations.

Carlee Balzaretti, PHN, MPH, DNP, FNP-BC, CNL is an associate professor teaching the Applied Assessment & Nursing Fundamentals course to undergraduate students. Prior to this appointment, she taught across the undergraduate nursing curriculum in the Veteran Affairs Nursing Academic Partnership program at the Sacramento campus.

Dr. Balzaretti is currently the recorder for the Faculty Association of the School of Nursing and Health Professions and faculty advisor to the Black Nursing Student...

Angela D. Banks, RN, PhD is a Full Professor and former Chair of the Undergraduate Nursing Department in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. She teaches Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacokinetics to undergraduate nursing students. She has been a registered nurse for more than 30 years, and prior to entering academia she worked in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and the emergency department. Her program of research focuses on women's health, health disparities, and...

Heather Bollinger graduated from USF in 2006 with her MSN in Healthcare Systems Leadership. Since then, she has worked as an acute care trauma nurse at San Francisco General Hospital Emergency Department and Trauma Center. She has been with USF as a clinical instructor since 2020. She currently teaches Applied Assessment and Nursing Fundamentals Across the Lifespan and Applied Assessment in Health and Wellness for the Sophomore level nursing students. 

Dr. Chaudhary obtained a Doctor in Nursing Practice degree from USF. She currently teaches Evidence-Based Inquiry and Informatics in the BSN department during the fall and spring semesters and graduate level courses in the summer. She focuses on didactic and clinical preparation of pre- and post- licensure nursing students. Dr. Chaudhary is also a Nurse Practitioner with experience in integrative primary care.

Professor Shauntel Cobb-Porter is a dedicated registered nurse with over 15 years of experience. She was born and raised in Oakland, CA where she developed a passion for helping others. Professor Shaun’s career began in medical office clinics, where she provided preventative treatment and health education to disadvantaged populations. She worked to address the needs of her community, advocating for access to quality care and resources. She transitioned to healthcare leadership, which gave her...

Debra Conroy-McCue is an associate professor at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions. With over 40 years of adult critical care bedside nursing experience, her passion for education has been a constant thread throughout her professional career. She joined the University in 2004 and has continued to live her personal vision: To inspire and teach fellow nurses, nursing students, patients, families, and communities to care for self and others: mind, body, and...

Dr. Cox is a dually board-certified adult nurse practitioner and adult psychiatric nurse practitioner, and certified public health nurse. Her specialty interests and NP work are in psychiatric mental health, addiction medicine, behavioral and community health of vulnerable populations, advocacy, and psychiatric consultation. She brings her clinical experience, interests, and enthusiasm for community and mental health to her teaching, service, clinical work, and volunteerism. Her focus is on...

Mary Lou De Natale has expertise in community mental health and telehealth case management with the underserved in the community and their partners / families. For the past twenty nine years, she has been involved in the bachelors, masters, and DNP programs (committee member of doctoral dissertations in the School of Education and School of Nursing and Health Professions - DNP projects). Her professional and personal mission, clinical practice, and research revolve around health care advocacy...

Dr. John Hurley loves to teach and has been teaching in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at USF for over eight years. He has thirty-seven years of experience as a clinical nurse, fifteen as nursing staff development and eight years of pediatric simulation teaching experience. He created and implemented a program for developing, nurturing, and sustaining the interior life of the nurse.

Dr. Jodi Kushner, DNP, MSN, CHSE, CNE, BSN is a nursing faculty for graduate and undergraduate levels in the VANAP program at the School of Nursing and Health Professions, USF, an Academic partnership between the University and the Department of Veteran Affairs Northern California Healthcare System. Her areas of interest include teaching strategies, learning styles, teaching students with disabilities and nursing simulation. Her DNP project titled, "Increasing Faculty Knowledge and Empathy" ...

Dr. Ann Lawani received her PhD in nursing from the University of San Diego. Her unique professional background includes small business accounting, clinical nursing practice and leadership. She is a practicing registered nurse; her clinical experience entails adult cardio-pulmonary, stroke, Cystic Fibrosis and orthopedic patient populations across multiple health care settings, including acute care and hospice facilities. A scholar and life-long learner, Dr. Lawani’s area of research includes...

Professor Mark’s history with USF spans 37 years. After graduating from the BSN program in 1987, she enjoyed a 30-year nursing career as a medical surgical staff nurse in a local hospital. She then earned an MSN from UCSF as a geriatric clinical nurse specialist, and when an opportunity opened up to teach at her undergraduate alma mater as a clinical instructor, she jumped at the chance. This sparked a love and passion for teaching nursing, and she has continued to teach at USF for almost 30...

Lisa is a proud triple USF Don earning her BSN, MSN and DNP from USF SONHP. She has over 38 years of healthcare experience in clinical, education, and leadership. She is active in the USF Alumni Association and is an active member of many nursing organizations. She was instrumental in establishing simulation at SONHP and has spoken locally, regionally, and nationally on simulation. Lisa was the Director of the Clinical Performance and Simulation Centers and was instrumental in implementing...

Dr. Elizabeth Cooper is an experienced clinical systems management expert. Her work focused on quality and safety education for nursing. Dr. Cooper has also contributed to the nursing education by submitting for publication a number of her research projects and investigations.

Dr. Cooper received her master’s in nursing and doctor in nurse practitioner degrees at the University of San Francisco. Dr. Copper’s research interests are in the areas of nursing education, assessment surveys, patient...

Dr. Gregory DeBourg taught at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions from 1993 - 2019. Dr. DeBourg started as an adjunct faculty and, in 1998, became a full-time professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Dr. DeBourgh taught NURS 370 - Medical-Surgical Nursing I: Management of Comprehensive Adult Patient Care, a course emphasizing synthesis and application of knowledge. In 2014 Dr. BeBourgh shared during an interview why he flipped his entire...

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...