Oregon's Potempa named dean of nursing
By Laurel Thomas Gnagey
President Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Teresa Sullivan have
named Kathleen Potempa as the next dean for the School of Nursing.
Her appointment has been reviewed with the Board of Regents Personnel,
Compensation and Governance Committee and is effective Oct. 1,
pending approval of the full board. Potempa currently serves
as vice president and dean of the School of Nursing at Oregon
Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland.
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Potempa (Courtesy School of Nursing) |
"Dean Potempa is a creative and innovative leader who will bring
U-M a wealth of ideas for advancing nursing research, clinical
practice and interdisciplinary collaboration," Sullivan says. "Her
move to Michigan is wonderful news for all of us, but especially
for the students and faculty of the School of Nursing."
Over the course of her career Potempa has filled leadership
roles within health systems, academic nursing, interdisciplinary
research teams and university executive management. At OHSU she
has developed and expanded academic programs in research through
recruitment of new faculty and establishment of centers of excellence.
She has supported growth of the clinical mission of the school
and led a statewide effort to transform undergraduate nursing
education in Oregon.
"Provost Sullivan and I are confident that Dr. Potempa will
promote the School of Nursing as a national leader in education,
research and practice," Coleman says. "Her experience with faculty
recruitment, and with development of programs that successfully
bridge the academic and clinical experiences, will serve the
University of Michigan well."
Potempa has been the dean at OHSU since 1996 and, in 2002, was
promoted to vice president and dean of the school, in recognition
of her expanded responsibilities for the research, practice and
educational mission on all four OHSU campuses. She also provides
leadership in the OHSU health system, including oversight of
the professional development of nursing, and she has responsibility
for all educational outreach programs in the state of Oregon.
"Dr. Potempa assumes the leadership of the School of Nursing
at a time of great challenge for nursing professionals in the
health care environment," says Dr. Robert P. Kelch, executive
vice president for medical affairs. "She brings a deep understanding
of organizational change in modern health care systems and the
academy that will benefit both the school and Health System."
Although Potempa will be new to U-M, she is no stranger to the
Michigan area. She received her nursing diploma from Providence
Hospital School of Nursing (Detroit), her bachelor's degree in
psychology from the University of Detroit, and her master's of
science and doctor in nursing science degrees from Rush University
in Chicago. She has held faculty and administrative appointments
in nursing at Rush and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"I am very excited to join the University of Michigan School
of Nursing and the university community," Potempa says. "It is
an honor to join the faculty of this prestigious university,
and to join the School of Nursing with its tradition of excellence."
Potempa's research focuses on fatigue, exercise and cardiovascular
fitness. Her most recent project, Transforming Primary Care:
The Healthy Aging Project, was funded by the Department of Health
and Human Services.
She has authored numerous professional publications and presented
more than 70 papers around the world, including completing a
visiting professorship in Beijing, China. She has served on expert
panels and committees, including NIH review panels. She currently
serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Professional
Nursing.
Potempa has served since 1997 on American Association Colleges
of Nursing (AACN) task forces and committees, including chair,
and as a member of the Task Force on Distance Education and Nursing,
the Doctoral Conference Planning Committee, the Task Force on
Hallmarks of Professional Practice and the Nominating Committee.
She has been a member of the American Academy of Nursing Finance
Committee and the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education
and Practice.
Potempa is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She
received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rush University
in 2003 and the Oregon Medical Research Foundation Mentor Award
in 2002.
Reprinted with permission from The University Record Online,
June 26, 2006 10:00 AM
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