Dean of Columbia Nursing Named President-Elect of The American Academy of Nursing

Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of Columbia University School of Nursing and senior vice-president of the Columbia University Medical Center, has become the American Academy of Nursing’s president-elect, it was announced at the Academy’s annual policy conference in Washington, DC.

“It’s a tremendous honor to join the senior leadership team of the Academy and help support its mission of advancing health policy and practice,” said Dean Berkowitz. “Nurses possess the knowledge to help solve many of the problems confronting our nation’s healthcare system.  The Academy’s more than 2,000 fellows are leading the way to improve the delivery of healthcare at the local, state, and national level.”

“I am thrilled that Bobbie will be working with me to help advance the strategic goals of the Academy,” said Diana J. Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN, who was designated at the Academy’s annual conference as its new president after serving as president-elect for two years.  Dr. Mason is the Rudin Professor of Nursing and co-director of the Center for Health, Media & Policy at Hunter College, City University of New York.  “Her commitment to patient advocacy and public health will be an invaluable asset in helping the Academy shape policy in the health care arena, address the direct and indirect factors contributing to the healthcare of communities, and help promote nurses in leadership positions at the national level.” 

Berkowitz also is the Mary O’Neil Mundinger Professor of Nursing at Columbia University School of Nursing.  Previously, she directed the NIH/NINR funded Center for the Advancement of Health Disparities Research and the National Program Office for the RWJF funded Turning Point initiative. She served as Deputy Secretary for the Washington State Department of Health and Chief of Nursing Services for the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health.  Berkowitz has been a member of the Washington State Board of Health, the Washington Health Care Commission, the board of the American Academy of Nursing, and chaired the Board of Trustees of Group Health Cooperative. She is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine. She is also currently on the boards of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York and the Public Health Foundation. 

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Columbia University School of Nursing is part of the Columbia University Medical Center, which also includes the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the College of Dental Medicine.  The School of Nursing is dedicated to educating the next generation of nurse leaders in education, research, and clinical care. The school has pioneered advanced practice nursing curricula and continues to define the role of nursing and nursing research through its PhD program which prepares nurse scientists. Its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) was among the first clinical practice doctorates to be offered in the nation. Among the clinical practice areas shaped by the school’s research are the reduction of infectious disease and the use of health care informatics to improve health and health care. For more information, please visit: www.nursing.columbia.edu.