Nursing chooses new grad dean

Distinguished nursing scholar Marla Salmon has left a top government post to join the faculty of the University's Nursing School September 15 as associate dean and director of graduate studies. Salmon will replace Anne Keane -- a Nursing professor who developed a program which trains nurse practitioners to work in hospitals and served as interim dean for the past two years. The post has not been permanently filled since former Nursing Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies Joan Lynaugh retired in March 1995. Salmon had served as Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Division of Nursing -- the top nursing position in the federal government -- since 1991. During her tenure, she sought to increase the involvement of nurses in government health policy decisions. She also worked to ensure that there are enough qualified nursing personnel to meet the nation's health needs. In announcing Salmon's appointment in August, Nursing Dean Norma Lang praised her for her "wealth of knowledge and expertise" in the areas of nursing research, practice and education. "Students, faculty and researchers at the School of Nursing and throughout the University of Pennsylvania are extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with Dr. Salmon," Lang said. "Her wisdom and vision will be an asset to all of us concerned with the future of nursing and health care." Salmon's expertise is in the area of nursing workforce policy, public health nursing and the development of government policies to guide how nursing is taught and practiced. She is a recognized expert in nursing education responsible for developing the so-called "Salmon White model" -- a conceptual model which delineates the scope and substance of how public health nursing is practiced, Lang said. Before joining the Department of Health and Human Services, Salmon chaired the nursing programs at the universities of Minnesota and North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She will join Lang and Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Studies Mary Naylor as a top administrator in the Nursing School. In her new position, she will lead all the graduate nursing programs and guide the work of doctoral students and faculty members interested in health services research and policy. Graduate students in the Nursing School can earn a doctorate or enroll in one of the 14 master's degree programs in areas ranging from primary care to nursing administration to midwifery.