Newswise — Bethesda, Md – Former Chief Nurse Officer for the United States Public Health Service Carol A. Romano, Ph.D., RN, BC, NEA, FAAN, FACMI, was recently selected as the new Dean of the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing (GSN) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She succeeds Dr. Ada Sue Hinshaw, who retired in August 2014.
USU President Charles L. Rice announced Romano’s selection to faculty, staff and students on Jan. 10.
“After an extensive search conducted by a committee chaired by Dr. Art Kellermann, dean of the Hébert School of Medicine, that produced a number of nationally-known candidates, Dr. Romano emerged as the best match for the GSN and for the University,” said Rice.
Dr. Romano served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the GSN from November 2010 through January 2015. Prior to her arrival at USU, she was an active leader within the United States Public Health Service, where she was involved in strategic planning, policy development and advising senior government officials. In addition to her role as the former Chief Nurse Officer for the USPHS, the now-retired rear admiral also served as the acting Deputy Surgeon General of the United States, acting Chief of Staff in the Office of the Surgeon General of the United States, and director of the Office of Reserve Affairs for the USPHS.
Dr. Romano worked for 34 years at the National Institutes of Health, Clinical Research Center where she served as associate investigator, clinical research nurse, educator, director of nursing communications and recruitment, nursing system specialist, director of clinical informatics and quality assessment, deputy chief information officer and senior advisor for clinical research informatics.
She is recognized as a pioneer in nursing informatics as she helped design and implement one of the first computerized medical information systems in 1976, which provided electronic medical orders and clinical documentation for physicians and nurses in ambulatory and hospital environments. She was also co-architect of the world’s first graduate curriculum in nursing informatics at the University of Maryland School of Nursing where she was recently named as one of the school’s Inaugural Pioneer Visionary Award recipients. In addition, Dr. Romano served as advisor to the World Health Organization on the management of manpower and health information in developing countries.
“I am both pleased and humbled to begin 2015 as Dean of the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing,” said Romano. “The GSN has a 21-year history that I will continue to honor and enrich as Dean. I will approach challenges with a look to the past, to those who preceded me and succeeded in creating and growing a robust graduate nursing school, and with a look to the future for what is needed in the 21st century to provide the nation with the highest quality advanced practice nurse clinicians, scientists and scholars dedicated to Federal health service.”
Dr. Romano earned a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Nursing at the University of Maryland after earning a diploma in nursing from the Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania. She also completed the Interagency Institute for Federal Executives at George Washington University and the Harvard University Senior Managers in Government Program at the Kennedy School of Government. She is board certified in nursing informatics and as an advanced nurse executive. Dr. Romano is also a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Medical Informatics.___
The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s more than 5,200 physician and 790 advanced practice nursing alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering their leadership and expertise. USU also has graduate programs in biomedical sciences and public health committed to excellence in research, and in oral biology. The University's research program covers a wide range of clinical and basic science important to both the military and public health. For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.
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