The USF Health College of Nursing is expanding its educational reach through new collaborations with two universities in Sicily.

The USF nursing school recently signed general agreements of understanding (GAUs) with nursing programs at the Kore University of Enna and the University of Catania, providing greater opportunity for global exchanges for faculty and students for training, internships, research endeavors and professional development.

Rector Francesco Priolo, Head of the University of Catania, and Dr. Usha Menon, dean of the USF Health College of Nursing, signed the first memo of understanding between University Catania and USF.

Plans to expand USF Health’s reach with both Kore and Catania were developed earlier this year and were more formalized in September when Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, senior associate vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF Health College of Nursing, among other faculty, traveled to tour the schools, hospitals and clinical facilities, and research laboratories, and GAUs between USF and each of the universities were signed.

In addition, College of Nursing Professor, Barbara Smith, RN, PhD, FACSM, FAAN and Associate Professor, Jennifer Kue, PhD conducted classes for the Kore students during this trip, an expansion of the online courses taught last January.

This trip was supported by a generous contribution from Rosemary and Douglas Ferdinand.

The new collaborative affiliations form the foundation for more formal contracts that aim to nurture the education and research missions for the institutions, including establishing visits and exchanges of faculty, scholars, and administrators in specific areas of education, practice, and research; exchange of undergraduate and/or graduate students; fostering the development of research collaborations, lectures, symposia and potential training projects for specific areas of interest between faculty; exploring topics for joint proposals for international funding; and initiating discussion for cooperative development of courses and academic programs.

Enhancing academic programs globally is an on-going effort across USF, including USF Health Nursing, Medicine, Public Health.

]]> https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2021/07/22/usf-health-reflects-on-a-year-of-covid-19/ Thu, 22 Jul 2021 22:49:08 +0000 https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/?p=34452 In the video above, USF Health leaders and frontline workers look back on the successes, challenges and emotions they experienced while dealing with an incredibly challenging year amid […]

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In the video above, USF Health leaders and frontline workers look back on the successes, challenges and emotions they experienced while dealing with an incredibly challenging year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Their stories include developing testing supplies now used around the world, creating programs aimed at treating vulnerable populations and helping rapidly develop and roll out vaccines against the disease, which Dr. Charles Lockwood, MD, Dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine said “rivals the moon landing.”

USF Health College of Nursing vice dean Denise Maguire, PhD, administers a vaccine shot.

Dr. Menon brings a wealth of nursing leadership experience and academic achievement to her new role. 

TAMPA, Fla. (Nov 24, 2020) – The University of South Florida has appointed Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, as new dean of the USF Health College of Nursing and senior associate vice president of USF Health.

Dr. Menon joined USF Health in September 2018 as Professor and Vice Dean of Research for the College, and has served as interim dean of the College since February of this year.

“Dr. Menon brings to this role a wealth of nursing leadership experience and academic achievement,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“She will be a powerful advocate for interprofessional and evidence-based approaches to nursing across the state. I have great confidence in her leadership and continuing desire to advance USF Health’s pursuit of excellence in education, research and patient care.”

“Though Dr. Menon isn’t entirely new to us, she’s new enough to have fresh perspectives and ideas, and also new enough that we all learned things about her through this process that we didn’t know before,” said Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, professor and dean of the USF Health College of Public Health, senior associate vice president of USF Health, and chair of the College of Nursing Dean Search Committee.

“Recruited to the College as the associate dean for research, we knew of her accomplishments as a scholar and her passion for nursing science. We were not as aware of her extensive experience in clinical practice, in teaching at all levels, in nursing faculty practice, and in global work. We were impressed by her enthusiasm and her vision for the future, completely undaunted by current events. Her energy was inspiring and beyond being a great choice for the permanent position of dean, her fellow deans of USF Health are delighted by her selection and look forward to co-conspiring in interprofessional, transdisciplinary, and cross-College efforts to “make life better” for all members of our community.”

Dr. Menon will lead more than 230 faculty and staff, 234 volunteer faculty and more than 2,000 nursing students in baccalaureate, master’s, PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. USF College of Nursing tops Florida’s state universities in National Institutes of Health funding for research. The college is also nationally recognized as one of the top veteran-friendly nursing colleges in the nation. Dr. Menon will be the sixth dean of the USF Health College of Nursing since the college was first founded in 1973.

“I am honored to be named dean of the USF Health College of Nursing,” Dr. Menon said. “I am also humbled by the confidence and support of President Currall and Dr. Lockwood as we aim to make the USF Health College of Nursing a top 20 U.S. nursing school. I came to USF to follow my research dreams and I have fallen in love with this college and community. This is such a pivotal time to be a nurse and now more than ever we need to ensure that we are preparing nurses for the frontlines and beyond. We will go forward with an audacious plan to showcase our college’s aspirations and achievements, but I am most excited that our college community is firmly with me in this journey. I am so grateful to lead and work with a dedicated group of faculty, staff, students, alumni and USF community.”

Before joining USF Health, Dr. Menon she served as a tenured Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Global Innovation at the University of Arizona-Tucson, College of Nursing and co-PI of the NIH-funded All of Us Research Program designed to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs by creating a one million person detailed clinical database. She previously served as Vice Dean of the Ohio State College of Nursing.

She received her BSN from Lander University and her MS and PhD in Nursing Science from Indiana University.

Dr. Menon has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and national foundations, garnering about $60 million in total research awards.  She has contributed 80 peer review publications and has over 150 presentations at national and international meetings.  She has served on multiple NIH study sections and national society committees. Her primary research interests have been in optimizing cancer screening regimens and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cancer and other health outcomes.  Her interests in nursing education have focused on increasing diversity of thought, scholarship and innovative curricular elements.  Her global health interests include nursing workforce and curricular development in Ethiopia and India, as well as initiating cervical cancer “screen and treat” programs in sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Dr. Menon is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, a recipient of the NIH National Research Service Award, and an inductee of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. She has been honored as a Top 100 Alumni Legacy Leader by the Indiana University School of Nursing.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on the way we live, work and interact. Watch Dr. Bryan Bognar, vice dean of the Morsani College of Medicine Department of Medical Education, discuss USF Health’s medical education successes and challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on the way we live, work and interact. Watch Dr. Terri Ashmeade, chief quality officer at USF Health, discuss patient safety in the clinics.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on the way we live, work and interact at USF Health. Watch Jacqueleen Reyes Hull, Ed.D, assistant vice president for administration at USF Health, discuss how daily life has changed for faculty and staff.

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USF Health medical student Tampa Hutchens discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected medical education and what students and USF faculty have done to keep their medical training on track.

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USF Health Dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy Dr. Kevin Sneed discusses the role pharmacists play in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Sneed stresses how pharmacists are helping find promising treatments, connecting with patients virtually to go over their medication regimens and further strengthening the healthcare sector’s approach to fighting the pandemic.

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USF Health Dean of Public Health, Dr. Donna Petersen, discusses the importance of public health especially during pandemics like COVID-19. Dean Petersen stresses the importance of following CDC guidelines — washing hands thoroughly, wearing a mask and maintaining social distance — to avoid contracting and spreading COVID-19. Dr. Petersen leads the COVID-19 Task Force and lays out plans to reopen USF to students, faculty and staff.

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Nurses protect the health and well-being of patients every day and play an integral role in our nation’s health care system. In the latest USF Health Brief, Dr. Usha Menon, interim dean of the USF Health College of Nursing, discusses the challenges and changes nurses and nurse training face during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dr. Stephen Liggett, USF Health associate vice president for research, discusses how COVID-19 has changed how research is conducted and the types of conditions researchers work.

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Dr. Deborah DeWaay, USF Health associate dean of undergraduate medical education, discusses the current and long-term changes in medical education due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Dr. Mark Moseley, USF Health’s Chief Clinical Officer, discusses how physicians and other health care providers are using telehealth services and technology to remotely care for patients, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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In the first USF Health Briefs, Dr. Charles Lockwood, Dean of the Morsani College of Medicine, talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our way of life and access to health care, the lessons the virus is teaching the medical community, and how long it may take before we can safely mingle in large groups again.

Nurses protect the health and well-being of patients every day and play an integral role in our nation’s health care system. In the latest USF Health Brief, Dr. Usha Menon, interim dean of the USF Health College of Nursing, discusses the challenges and changes nurses and nurse training face during the COVID-19 pandemic.