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Brown named new nursing dean
By ARTHUR PAGE
Assistant Vice President
Jean K. Brown, professor and interim dean of the School of Nursing, has been named dean of the school following a national search, it was announced Friday by David L. Dunn, vice president for health sciences.
BROWN
The appointment of Brown, who joined the school's faculty in 1993 and who has served as interim dean since November 2006, is effective immediately.
A specialist in nursing oncology, Brown succeeds the late Mecca S. Cranley, longtime dean of the School of Nursing. She was named interim dean after Cranley became seriously ill. Brown previously had served as acting dean from December 2005 through August 2006.
“Dr. Jean Brown stood out among an outstanding slate of candidates as an academician with an outstanding, extremely productive research track record who has received national recognition, and as a dedicated mentor of students and faculty," Dunn said in announcing her appointment. "She also possesses well-honed administrative skills, having served as both acting and interim dean of the school."
Dunn said Brown "has a clear vision and well-thought-out plan to expand the faculty and staff of the school with the necessary infrastructure to bolster its research and teaching programs, and to increase the number of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. She has clearly articulated that the national nursing shortage must be solved not just by increasing the numbers of baccalaureate nursing degrees conferred, but concurrently training the next generation of doctoral nurse educators, already an area of considerable strength at UB."
President John B. Simpson noted that "the School of Nursing is of critical significance to UB's longstanding leadership in health sciences research, education and outreach. As is evident from its prominent role in UB 2020 strategic strengths such as Health and Wellness Across the Lifespan, it is equally significant to our broader academic enterprise.
"Finding a leader to guide this important school at a pivotal point in its evolution is no small challenge," Simpson added. "After a major national search, we confirmed that we have the ideal candidate right here in our ranks. Professor Brown has long played a vital role in developing academic excellence within the School of Nursing. We are fortunate, indeed, to have an administrator and scholar of her demonstrated experience, insight, vision and talent in this important leadership role."
Satish K. Tripathi, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, added: "I am absolutely delighted that Jean will assume the leadership position in our School of Nursing. Over the past few years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with Jean, first as associate dean and then as acting and interim dean.
"Throughout Jean's tenure at UB, she has distinguished herself as a wise and visionary leader, a consummate administrator, a mentor to students and faculty, and as a renowned researcher. It is quite rare for one person to possess such a complete complement of distinguishing characteristics. And, I am so pleased that this uniquely qualified UB School of Nursing faculty member emerged as a leader among leaders from our national search."
Michael E. Cain, dean of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, who served as chair of the search committee, said the national search attracted 39 applicants. He said that four "exceptional" candidates—selected from a larger group of 15 "excellent" applicants who were interviewed—were invited to campus for interviews in October and November.
"Jean rapidly emerged from a pool of highly qualified individuals as the search committee's top candidate for the position of dean of the School of Nursing," Cain noted. "She convincingly demonstrated the vision, leadership qualities, commitment and tenacity to engage the faculty and move the School of Nursing forward, and to work effectively with the other four health science schools to enrich our Academic Health Center and university."
Brown is principal investigator of a $1.3 million grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designed to fund the nursing school's accelerated bachelor's degree program, which allows individuals holding degrees in other fields to receive a bachelor's degree in nursing in 12 months. She also is principal investigator on an HRSA grant funding an advanced education nursing traineeship program. She currently is principal investigator of a phase 2 clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute that is testing the effects of antioxidant dietary supplements on men with prostate cancer during radiation therapy and has had previous grants supporting her research on cancer-related nutritional symptom management.
Brown earned a nursing diploma from the Fairview Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis, Minn., and completed bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees and two years of postdoctoral study at the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She held several positions at her alma mater before coming to UB in 1993 as an assistant professor.
She was promoted to associate professor of nursing in 1999 and to professor in 2005. She was named associate dean for academic affairs in 2002. She holds adjunct professorships in nutrition and rehabilitation sciences in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, as well as Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Brown is co-chair of the SUNY Nursing Education Task Force. A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, she was co-recipient of the Oncology Nursing Society's Publishing Division Oncology Nursing Forum 2005 Quality of Life Award at its 31st Annual Congress in 2006 for her paper, "Quality of life and meaning of illness of women with lung cancer."
She won the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2004 and the sustained Achievement Award from UB in 2003. In the nursing school, she was recipient of the Dean's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2001 and in 2007 she was named a Distinguished Faculty Mentor.
The author or co-author of more than 40 papers in refereed journals, Brown also has written six book chapters on aspects of cancer nursing, and has lectured widely.