Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing Dean Transition

Dear colleagues,

Adey Nyamathi, Founding Dean and Distinguished Professor of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, has decided that she will return to the faculty at the conclusion of her term as Dean in December 2021. Dean Nyamathi is an internationally known behavioral scientist whose well-funded research is focused on the most vulnerable of populations, locally and globally. She plans to continue her research over the subsequent two years, completing 40 years of service by 2024.

Dean Nyamathi was selected to lead the newly established Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing in 2017 because of her vast experience as an empathetic and visionary leader with a strong commitment to the nursing discipline. Under her leadership, the School has more than doubled the number of Senate faculty, with an emphasis on building a multi-disciplinary team. Inspired by a strong faculty practice model, which is unique to UCI, she has likewise supported the growth of clinical faculty and created a model for a balanced research and clinical foundation.

During her deanship, the School gained approval by the University of California Board of Regents and the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC) for the School’s first self-supporting program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice.

To date, she has helped the School quadruple research funding, raised the NIH research ranking by 20 positions, and significantly improved the ranking of individual academic programs. Her commitment to diversity has inspired the recruitment of diverse faculty and students across the School. Her noteworthy passion for philanthropy helped triple the base for student scholarships through the establishment of the School of Nursing Cabinet and The Legacy Society, and by strengthening of the Leadership Council.

Her emphasis on partnership of the School and UCI Medical Center has produced many collaborative opportunities. Her service as a member of the Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences executive leadership team, overseeing the growth of the School, and assisting in planning the new Sue & Bill Gross Nursing and Health Sciences Hall are among the many highlights of her deanship.

Prior to UCI, Adey held a range of academic and administrative roles in the School of Nursing at UCLA from 1984-2016. She has been recognized with many honors including appointments as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Western Academy of Nursing, Distinguished Professor at UCI, and Visiting Professorships in China and Australia. She was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.

A national search for the next dean, and associated conversations with the faculty, will begin soon. Please join us in thanking Dean Nyamathi for her service and contributions to UCI.

Sincerely,

Steve A.N. Goldstein, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., FAAP
Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs
Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics and Physiology & Biophysics

Hal S. Stern, Ph.D.
Interim Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Statistics