The new dean at the College of Nursing said she has high hopes for ASU by developing a new center for research.
Bernadette Melnyk is currently an associate dean of research and the director of the Center for Research and Evidence-Based Practice at the University of Rochester in New York.
Melnyk will join ASU in January, replacing the interim nursing dean, Karen Sousa.
Barbara Durand, dean for 12 years, retired at the end of June.
“The College of Nursing at ASU has a wonderful foundation already established,” Melnyk said. “But I personally believe that the college needs to be elevated to the next level and the way to do that is through national visibility.”
Melnyk plans to achieve her goal through a new Center for the Advancement of Evidence-Based Practice.
According to Melnyk, the center will be critical to ASU because it will help establish partnerships with health care organizations and medical centers.
The center will focus on evidence-based care, or the practice of making decisions for patients based on the best current research in the field.
ASU President Michael Crow said he looks forward to Melnyk’s arrival.
“Bernadette Melnyk is a great exemplar of the new directions we’re headed,” he said. “She embodies high academic standards, she understands the importance of research and attracts significant research funding, and she has a keen sense of serving the community by advancing her profession.”
Melnyk has been with University of Rochester since 1992. She is the founder and chair of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ KySS (Keep your children/yourself Safe and Secure) campaign, a national mental health promotion program for children and teens, and is president of the Association of Faculties of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
Melnyk has been recognized with several awards, including the 2003 Audrey Hepburn Award from Sigma Theta Tau International for substantial contributions made to improve healthcare for children globally.
She also received the 2003 President’s Award from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
ASU’s College of Nursing’s masters program is currently ranked 39th by U.S. News and World Report.
In January, Durand helped to get a Doctor of Nursing Science program approved by the Arizona Board of Regents. The program will begin in January 2005.
Melnyk said she is excited about her new job and moving to Arizona.
“I’m really looking forward to nursing and also playing a heavier role in the community as well as the University health,” Melnyk said.
Reach the reporter at shaina.levee@asu.edu.
