Ellington

As of Oct. 1, former Emory University School of Nursing professor and dean Marla Salmon has joined the UW School of Nursing as the new dean, after being approved by the Board of Regents.

Salmon stated she does not have any immediate plans for the school but views this as more of a learning year.

“The reality in terms of specific goals is that I don’t have any,” she said.

With a lengthy résumé in the global health care field, it came as no surprise that the new dean quickly likened her experiences during the past few weeks to living in another country. She said this was a year in which building upon on the excellence that has been here and meeting the staff and students were her top priorities.

“I’m really excited about [Dean Salmon] being here,” said Cathryn Booth-LaForce, executive associate dean for the School of Nursing. “I believe she’s a visionary thinker who can step back and look at the whole system.”

With the UW School of Nursing ranked No. 1 among nursing schools in the country for the past 20 years, it should come as no surprise that the new dean’s approach to keeping the prestigious title has been discussed considerably.

When Salmon was being interviewed by UW President Mark Emmert, she was asked what she would do to preserve the school’s ranking. What was more important for her, she said, was what the school did with that title.

“We could be limiting ourselves in ways that matter,” she said. “Being No. 1 is not a destination for me; it should be a wonderful sidebar for doing the right thing.”

While Salmon could not think of many examples that would jeopardize the school’s ranking, she did offer one, suggesting it could present a problem in having a nursing staff heavily qualified in one area more than another.

She feels her position is remarkable for being able to be in an area with extraordinary community partners.

Salmon said she is also “enormously excited” for how she can help build a school engaged in rethinking the delivery of health care.

Frances Lewis, UW nursing professor and faculty council chair, said Salmon presented an amazing opportunity, and brings a new way of thinking on the “big-picture issues” in nursing.

“She is trying to do whatever she can to grow our core values so that we can continue to be efficient in our resources and maintain a sense of creativity,” Lewis said.

At the same time, Salmon finds her new role daunting, due to the global nursing shortage. Salmon attributes the crisis to four major factors, including the increasing complexity of care coupled with a bigger demand.

“Nursing has not been well-invested in for decades,” she said. “There were huge cutbacks in the ‘90s for healthcare institutions, and nurses became easy targets for cutting back costs.”

She also described there being a “failing demographic equation” of only white, middle-class women in the workforce, one she says will not be able to work for a population growing increasingly more diverse.

However, she said there has been some turnaround to the shortage in recent years.

In response to how the recent statewide budget cuts would affect the School of Nursing, Salmon said the cuts would impact the school but declined to elaborate.

Reach reporter Julian Martin at news@dailyuw.com.

Who is Marla Salmon?

Member of the Nursing Commission for the Joint Commission on Healthcare Accreditation and the editorial board for books at Sigma Theta Tau International, the honor society for nursing students

Member of the White House taskforce on health care reform

Has a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo

Served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Nursing Scholarship and Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing

Served as director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Nursing

Chaired the National Advisory Council for Nurse Education and Practice