New York University’s nursing education program after nearly 75 years as a division within The Steinhardt School of Education, has been elevated to the stature of a College of Nursing, located at the NYU College of Dentistry, effective Sept. 1.
Dr. Terry Fulmer, who has been appointed dean of the new College of Nursing, said, “This historic designation reflects the extraordinary achievements in science, scholarship, and professional leadership that are the hallmarks of NYU nursing graduates. Importantly, our alliance with the College of Dentistry also affirms the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences mandate that health professional schools stop educating their students in silos’ and instead seek new synergies through interdisciplinary health research and education.”
Dean Fulmer added, “Our move to the College of Dentistry affords a particular opportunity for the growth and development of nursing, a field that has made enormous progress in advancing clinical care and health research. We anticipate that nursing and dentistry will inform each other in ways that have not occurred in the past, and that patients will have the opportunity to obtain additional primary health care while receiving their dental care. It is also expected that strong research collaborations will quickly evolve. An added benefit is that our new location places NYU nursing at the heart of the NYU health campus, where you can walk to five major Manhattan hospitals in five minutes.”
Dr. Michael C. Alfano, dean of the NYU College of Dentistry, said, “Both the nursing and dentistry programs will continue to pursue robust independent academic agendas which fully maintain their accreditation status, while also taking advantage of exciting opportunities to collaborate, form alliances, and further improve health care in the United States. NYU College of Nursing graduates will be fully qualified to perform all the traditional roles that nurses and advanced nurse practitioners currently perform. But they will be getting more from their education, and they will be able to choose whether or not to use the additional experience as they proceed into various private practice and institutional settings.”
In addition to Dean Fulmer, the College of Nursing’s leadership team includes Dr. Hila Richardson, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, who has been an NYU nursing faculty member for eight years; Dr. Judith Haber, associate dean for Graduate Programs, who was formerly Director of the master’s and post-master’s nursing programs at NYU; and Dr. Deborah Witt Sherman, director of the doctoral program in nursing, who coordinated the first nurse practitioner palliative care master’s programs at NYU. All three are nurses, who also hold doctoral degrees.
Nursing education at New York University began in 1932. Today the College of Nursing is one of the nation’s most highly respected nursing education institutions, offering undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs. Its nationally renowned faculty guide 13 advanced-practice nursing specialties, and lead one of the country’s oldest and most selective doctoral programs.
Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the United States, educating more than 8 percent of all dentists. NYUCD has a significant global reach and provides a level of national and international diversity among its students that is unmatched by any other dental school.
New York University, located in the heart of Greenwich Village, was established in 1831 and is one of America’s leading research universities. It is one of the largest private universities, it has one of the largest contingents of international students, and it sends more students to study abroad than any other college or university in the U.S. Through its 14 schools and colleges, NYU conducts research and provides education in the arts and sciences, law, medicine, business, dentistry, education, nursing, the cinematic and dramatic arts, music, public administration, social work, and continuing and professional studies, among other areas.