The University of Colorado College of Nursing welcomes a new dean this summer. Provost Rod Nairn is pleased to announce that Sarah Thompson, PhD, RN, FAAN will replace retiring Dean Pat Moritz, RN, PhD, FAAN. Moritz has been part of the university for more than 20 years, and after becoming dean, oversaw the college’s growth as a top nursing school.

Thompson is currently a professor and the associate dean of academic programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing. She brings with her a wealth of leadership and clinical care experience as well as considerable accomplishments in research.

“The College of Nursing has a strong foundation in all of its missions: education, practice and research. It’s poised to grow in all of these areas,” said Thompson. “It’s a real honor to have been chosen its dean.”

Provost Nairn said after meeting Thompson it was clear she has what it will take to continue the college’s academic, research and practice success.

“It was critical for the university to bring in someone truly excited about the future of nursing – not only in educating the next generation of care providers but also in working to bring attention to the work of our faculty in research and clinical practice,” said Nairn.

Thompson said what stood out for her about the University of Colorado Denver|Anschutz Medical Campus was the vitality of the Anschutz Medical Campus as well as its connection with the urban Denver Campus.

Thompson has lived in the Midwest her entire life and finds Colorado to be a natural extension of her time in Nebraska and Kansas. She earned her PhD and master’s at the University of Kansas and her bachelor’s of nursing at the University of Oklahoma. Thompson also holds a certificate in gerontology.

She has taught at all levels in nursing and has practiced intensive care and hospice nursing. A nurse scientist herself, Thompson recently completed an NIH-funded study focused on end-of-life outcomes for nursing home residents.

Thompson shared that the campus’ focus on inter-professional education was a draw and she looks forward to working closely with the Schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health and the Graduate School to build on the strengths that cross the three missions of the college.

Thompson is set to begin as dean on August 27.