Doreen C. Harper, Ph.D.Doreen C. Harper, Ph.D., dean of the UAB School of Nursing and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair in Nursing, will transition from her day-to-day duties effective Jan. 1, 2022, and focus on strategic goals until her full retirement in spring 2022. Linda Moneyham, Ph.D., professor and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs, will assume those executive responsibilities until Harper retires and then will become interim dean until a new dean has been selected in the national search now underway.
Throughout her academic career, Harper, a nurse practitioner, has worked to advance quality and equity in health care and advocated for nursing leadership, excellence and advanced practice through the preparation of diverse, highly educated nurses. Her focus on developing and testing sustainable models of care for underserved communities distinguishes the UAB School of Nursing among others.
“Dean Harper has been a visionary in academic nursing,” said Pam Benoit, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “She foresaw the tremendous demand for nursing professionals and has met that demand for the benefit of the residents of Alabama and beyond. Her vision for the School of Nursing has brought international acclaim to UAB and its community and has produced countless nurse leaders who continue to transform health care. Her efforts have always been a driving force of positive change for the school.”
Since Harper became dean in 2005, her tenure has been defined by strategic investment in people and programs and by garnering widespread support from the community.
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Her vision for the School of Nursing has brought international acclaim to UAB and its community and has produced countless nurse leaders who continue to transform health care. |
Notably, Harper led the development of a comprehensive strategic plan that laid the foundation for a historic building campaign and substantial growth in the school’s endowment funding for student scholarships, faculty recruitment and program support. These led to a rise in national rankings, student enrollment, research funding and practice impact:
- Student enrollment has increased to more than 2,500 from 600 since 2005, and full-time faculty has increased to 150 from 64.
- UAB’s undergraduate nursing degree is ranked among the top 10 best programs of its kind by S. News & World Reportin its 2022 Best Colleges Rankings. Also highly ranked are the school’s Master of Science in Nursing program, at No. 13, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, which is ranked at No. 18. Four of the school’s graduate specialties also are ranked.
- A number of nurse-led clinics now provide care for the state’s most vulnerable and underserved residents.
- In FY 2020, the school ranked 11 overall and No. 5 among public schools of nursing in NIH research funding. For FY 2021, the school is on track to post more than $8.6 million in NIH funding and more than $14 million from all grant sources.
- A $32 million state-of-the-art building expansion and renovation to the School of Nursing building in 2018 added 72,000 square feet of essential space for smart classrooms, collaborative teaching space, research, practice areas and offices, and a 20,000-square-foot simulation and skills lab space.
Moneyham, the senior associate dean since 2011, will bring more than 30 years of academic experience to her new responsibilities and “ensure continuity in senior leadership,” Benoit said. “Dr. Moneyham has capably served the faculty, staff and students of the UAB School of Nursing, both in her role as senior associate dean and as an expert in a number of important nursing disciplines, including women’s health and psychological stress.”
“Dean Harper and I have worked closely with each other for more than 14 years,” Moneyham said. “I look forward to working with her during this transition period and then leading our faculty and staff as interim dean to serve our students and communities of interest.”
Moneyham, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and member of the Board of Governors of the National League for Nursing, was inducted into the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame in 2017. She is highly regarded for her research focused on rural and minority populations with HIV/AIDS and other health disparities, and she is currently focused on educating a diverse nursing workforce capable of improving access to health care for underserved populations.
