Dean and Associate Deans

Dr. Afaf I. Meleis is the Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, and Director of the School’s WHO Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership. Prior to coming to Penn, she was a Professor on the faculty at the University of California Los Angeles and the University of California San Francisco for 34 years. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Royal College of Nursing in the United Kingdom, and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia; a member of the Institute of Medicine, the Forum of Executive Women, and the Pennsylvania Women’s Forum; a Trustee of the National Health Museum; and a Board Member of the Global Health Council, CARE (a global intervention group), the Nurses Education Fund, Inc., and Life Science Career Alliance. She is Counsel General of ICOWHI, the International Council on Women’s Health Issues, an international nonprofit association dedicated to the goal of promoting health, health care, and well-being of women throughout the world through participation, empowerment, advocacy, education, and research.

The Associate Dean for Research and Professor in the School of Nursing, Yvonne Paterson, PhD, FAAM, FAAAS, has primary administrative oversight for the School’s research initiatives including policy making, the promotion and facilitation of all research activities in the School, and articulating representing, and sustaining these programs within the University. She also provides the vision and leadership for the research portion of the School’s strategic plan in concert with the University’s Compact, insuring compliance with University and Federal regulatory mechanisms. Dr. Paterson also directs the Office of Nursing Research, which is responsible for all aspects of grants’ administration both pre- and post-award.

The Associate Dean for Practice and Community Affairs, Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, CRNP, FAAN, RN, the Shearer Term Associate Professor for Healthy Community Practices, oversees the strategic planning and management of the Office of Practice & Community Affairs, which includes the School’s practices, community and health system partners, Penn Nursing Consultation Service, Healthy in Philadelphia Initiative, and the Center for Professional Development. In this position, Dr. Sullivan-Marx also leads community outreach activities of the School of Nursing to the university, public and private partners, and policy and political agencies.

The Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Kathleen McCauley, PhD, RN, BC, FAAN, FAHA, the Class of 1965 25th Reunion Term Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Nursing-clinician Educator, provides leadership and vision to the School’s academic programs, including policy making and direct oversight; the development of quality and quantity benchmarks; and accountability for cost-effective operation of the programs. Both within and outside the University, Dr. McCauley serves as an expert representative of the School’s mission by articulating and representing the School and its academic programs