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National Leader Named Nursing Dean

June 14, 2002

Baltimore, Md. – Nationally recognized academic leader Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been appointed by President David J. Ramsay, DM, DPhil, as dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Allan previously was the dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA). She is vice chair of the 15-member U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Earlier this year, she was the spokesperson for the task force when the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new federal recommendations on mammography screening.

In her national role, Allan is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Nursing. She has been president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, which doubled its membership under her leadership, and the Southern Nursing Research Society, which experienced similar growth. Last year, she received the Nursing Excellence Award for service to the profession from Nurseweek magazine.

"We are very pleased to have Janet Allen, a nationally recognized professional, join the University of Maryland," says Ramsay. "We know that our School of Nursing will continue to grow in stature under her leadership."

Deeply committed to research and faculty excellence, Allan led the UTHSCSA School of Nursing as it more than doubled its federal funding during the last three years. During the same period, the school's research funding increased five-fold.

Allan holds a doctorate in medical anthropology. Her research focuses on the issue of weight management by women. She conducted one of the first studies in the nation on the comparison of different ethnic groups' attitudes toward women's weight and how to manage it. She has published more than 75 articles, book chapters and abstracts. She also has studied the problems of living with HIV and was instrumental in the creation of a hospice for HIV patients that serves as a national model. As a result, Allan was one of nine nurses in the country who was honored by the U.S. assistant secretary of health for contributions to the care of people with AIDS and HIV infection. Also in 2001, she received the Distinguished Researcher Award from the Southern Nursing Regional Society.

"One of Janet Allan's strengths is her ability to engage the faculty in developing plans and goals for the school," says Malinda Orlin, PhD, academic vice president and chair of the search committee. "After she became dean in Texas, they developed a shared vision that was an important factor in their success." The school recently was re-accredited for 10 years.

"Among the reasons I am excited about coming to the University of Maryland is the proximity of the nursing school to the other professional schools-dental, law, medical, pharmacy, social work-and the graduate school," says Allan. "The relationship with the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Baltimore VA Medical Center also provides wonderful opportunities for the students and faculty at the School of Nursing."

The University of Maryland School of Nursing provides educational programs in nursing that lead to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The School is consistently ranked among the top 10 schools of nursing by U.S. News and World Report and currently enrolls more than 1,400 students.

The School has pioneered a variety of innovative educational programs, including the first nursing informatics program in the world and the nation's first nursing health policy program. More than 20 specialties are offered at the graduate level, including trauma/critical-care, oncology, gerontology, psychiatric/mental health nursing, and nursing administration. To provide clinical programs for students, the School of Nursing maintains affiliations with more than 300 hospitals and health care agencies throughout Maryland.