Newswise — Nationally recognized academic leader Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been appointed by President Jay A. Perman, MD, as dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing effective Jan. 14, 2013. Kirschling replaces Janet D. Allan, PhD, RN, FAAN, who will retire on Dec. 31, 2012, after 10 years as dean of the School of Nursing.
In making the announcement, Perman said, "In her new role, Dr. Kirschling will take the School of Nursing to the next level. I expect her to further strengthen our nursing programs at the Universities at Shady Grove, and to further develop the School's research enterprise, particularly as it relates to the national focus on health reform. Dr. Kirschling also will lead the School’s transition of its advanced practice program from the current master's in science to doctorate in nursing practice."
"I am very pleased to be joining the University of Maryland, Baltimore,” said Kirschling. "The School of Nursing's national and international reputations speak volumes to the excellence of the nursing faculty and the leadership of Dean Janet Allan over the past decade. I also welcome the opportunity to work with the larger University on advancing President Perman's vision for interprofessional education. This work is critical as we prepare the next generation of health care providers to provide team-based care that is safe, high-quality, and truly patient-centered." Kirschling has served as dean and professor at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing since 2006. Previously she held administrative and faculty positions at the University of Southern Maine (dean and professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions), University of Rochester (associate dean for academic affairs and professor, School of Nursing), and Oregon Health & Science University (associate dean for graduate studies and professor).
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Allan for her dedication and commitment as she led the University of Maryland School of Nursing – one of the nation’s oldest and largest nursing schools – to its current ranking of 11th by U.S.News & World Report and 19th in NIH funding," said Perman.
Kirschling received her BSN from Viterbo College in LaCrosse, Wis., and her MSN and PhD from Indiana University School of Nursing. She is an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Executive Fellows Program (2000-2003) and was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2009.
At the University of Kentucky, Kirschling oversees a robust clinical research enterprise. She initiated a program that sustained support for senior investigators while investing in the development of junior scientists with time for research and significant startup support for pilot work. She also led the redesign of the college’s research infrastructure support to enhance investigators’ ability to focus on their science in writing grants.
Kirschling's clinical expertise is in mental health nursing with a focus on end-of-life care. For more than a decade, Kirschling's scholarship has focused on workforce development with a special emphasis on rural states. Earlier in her career her scholarship focused on family caregivers for persons with a terminal illness and grief following the loss of a family member. She founded the Kentucky Nursing Capacity Consortium and co-convenes Kentucky's Action Coalition, which is working to implement the Institute of Medicine's 2010 recommendations on the "Future of Nursing." Kirschling serves on the University of Kentucky's Center for Interprofessional HealthCare Education, Research and Practice Board of Directors.
At the national level, Kirschling has been active in the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, serving as president of the Board of Directors in 2002 and 2003. She also has been an active member of Sigma Theta Tau International – The Honor Society of Nursing. She co-chaired the International Advisory Council of Chief Nursing Officers and Deans (2007-2009).
In addition, Kirschling has served on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Board of Directors since 2004 and began a two-year term as president in 2012. From 2006 to 2010 she served as the AACN's representative to the American Nurses Association Congress on Nursing Practice. She represented the AACN on the expert panel that developed Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, sponsored by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative, released in May 2011.
Perman also announced Kirschling will serve as university director of interprofessional education (IPE) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Working with the president's IPE Task Force, she will lead the implementation of IPE recommendations that are emerging from the University's strategic planning implementation group.
The University of Maryland is home to the schools of law, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and social work and the Graduate School. It is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.
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