New nursing school dean enlivens theory with practice

Renowned environmental health researcher Linda McCauley 79N has been appointed dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. McCauley is currently associate dean for research and the Nightingale Professor in Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania and will begin her tenure at Emory on May 1, 2009.

McCauley, a member of the Institute of Medicine, is a national leader in the area of pesticide exposure and vulnerable populations, particularly minority communities. She is enthusiastic about the nursing school’s work in Moultrie, Georgia, where it provides health services to immigrant agricultural workers, and plans to continue research on the impact of pesticides on farm workers.

She received a bachelor of nursing degree from the University of North Carolina, a master’s degree in nursing from Emory, and a doctorate in environmental health and epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati.

“Dr. McCauley has a rich academic history as a trailblazer in nursing research and as one whose approach to inquiry combines many disciplines,” says Provost Earl Lewis.

McCauley will lead a team of faculty members whose research spans the globe. The school ranks in the top twenty in the U.S. and in the top ten among private institutions.