Nursing names its associate dean for research

Ann Berger, Ph.D., will serve as the UNMC College of Nursing associate dean for research. She currently serves as director of the college’s doctoral program.

Dr. Berger, the Dorothy Hodges Olson Endowed Chair in Nursing, has more than 30 years of experience in academic nursing, with the majority of that at the college. She was granted tenure in 2001 and promoted to professorial rank in 2006. She served as interim associate dean for research from 2006-07 and has directed the doctorate in nursing program since January 2007.

“I am delighted that Dr. Berger has accepted this vitally important role and I know she will provide splendid leadership in this new capacity,” said Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean of the UNMC College of Nursing. “She has been tremendously effective as director of the Ph.D. program, having built a solid recruitment strategy for well-qualified students and ensured a well-organized and coherent curriculum and a strong faculty cohort.

“This was a rigorous search with truly excellent candidates. It points out yet again what superb and talented faculty we have in the college,” Dr. Sebastian said.

Dr. Sebastian said Dr. Berger has consistently excelled in building her program of research and scholarship related to fatigue in women with breast cancer. In addition to a history of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, foundations, and the state, she has authored 74 published manuscripts, 10 book chapters, and a variety of editorials, abstracts, newsletter articles, monographs, and book reviews.

“I am excited to lead faculty to increase the research prominence of the UNMC College of Nursing,” Dr. Berger said. “My goal is to strengthen the CON research culture by enhancing scholar’s time, resources, and accountability. The Niedfelt Nursing Research Center at the CON will encourage and support our faculty to engage in interdisciplinary, multi-site, and/or multi-campus research in areas identified as priorities by the NIH, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Nursing Research, and UNMC.”