On Friday afternoon, July 27, nearly 300 administrators, community leaders, faculty, staff and students streamed onto the rooftop garden of the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center to celebrate the career and leadership of Patricia Moritz, PhD, RN, FAAN, as dean of the College of Nursing.

A short program was emceed by Marilyn Krajicek and included remarks by Provost Roderick Nairn, PhD; Richard Krugman, MD, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine; David Olds, PhD, founder of the Nurse Family Partnership Program and professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and nursing; Amy Barton, PhD, associate dean for clinical and community affairs at the College of Nursing; Kate Bent, PhD, NIH chief of the Center for Scientific Review; and Karen Marks, assistant to the dean. Undergraduate student M.J. Gani thanked the dean for her leadership and presented her with a poster signed by many of the students.

Moritz formally joined the faculty in 1996 after holding visiting positions at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Pennsylvania. She was a scientist and administrator at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institute of Nursing Research. As head of one of the three science branches, she directed nursing systems research and collaborated with other institutions — the Human Genome Center, National Library of Medicine and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality — on collaborative initiatives specific to their missions. Among these were clinical bioethics, health care informatics, long-term care, outcomes of care, and the development of innovative clinical care models.

Moritz first came to the CU School of Nursing in 1992 as a visiting assistant/associate professor adjoint. In 1996, she became director of the Center for Nursing Research and associate dean for research. Three years later she was named director of the National Center for Children, Families and Communities. Moritz was named interim dean in 2001 and, subsequently, dean and professor in July 2002.

During her tenure as dean, Moritz was instrumental in the move from the Ninth Avenue (Health Sciences Center) campus to the Anschutz Medical Campus in 2007; the School of Nursing name change to the College of Nursing; development of the doctorate of nursing practice degree (DNP); creation of the Integrated Nursing Pathway Program with two colleges (CCA and CCD) in the community college system; implementation of a new BS and PhD curricula, and numerous accreditation and program reviews. She also led the college out of financially difficult times in the past, and providing financial stability today that well positions the college for the future.

Chancellor Don Elliman awarded Moritz the title of professor emerita effective Sept. 1. She retires at the end of August.