By Lynn Schultz-Writsel
School of Nursing

In an ongoing strategic initiative, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has structured areas of excellence as academic departments and named three faculty members as chairs.

Dean Martha N. Hill announced at faculty and staff meetings held on Feb. 13 the names of those selected. In her presentations, Hill recognized the inclusive process undertaken in selecting the chairs and commended the faculty and staff who offered input and those who "stepped forward to take on new leadership responsibilities and to help achieve our strategic objective of even greater excellence in teaching, practice, and research."

Fannie Gaston-Johansson, a professor, will lead the faculty in the Acute and Chronic Care Department. She holds the Elsie M. Lawler Endowed Chair and serves as the director of the school's Center for Health Disparities. She also leads the Global Health Promotion Research Program, an international, interdisciplinary research/educational program that attracts nursing, medical, public health, and arts and sciences students from universities throughout the country.

Victoria Mock, also a professor, will chair the new Department of Health Systems and Outcomes. Mock leads the school's National Institutes of Health-funded Center for Collaborative Intervention Research and serves as director of nursing research at the Kimmel Cancer Center. Previously director of the school's Center for Nursing Research, she is well-known for fostering collaborative, interdisciplinary biobehavioral research initiatives among faculty, staff and students at the School of Nursing and The Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Associate Professor Phyllis W. Sharps, former director of the Master's Program, will head the third department, Community and Public Health. Sharps' academic nursing career has focused on creating tomorrow's nurse leaders. Her research targets underserved audiences, and she currently is the principal investigator on a multimillion-dollar National Institute of Nursing Research community-based study aimed at helping at-risk pregnant women and their infants.

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