Contacts: Sarah Goodwin Kathi Ovnic Holly Korschun

June 1, 1999

EMORY NAMES MARLA E. SALMON TO HEAD NELL HODGSON WOODRUFF SCHOOL OF NURSING Marla E. Salmon, Sc.D., RN, FAAN, will take the helm of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, effective June 1. She assumes the titles associate vice president for Nursing Science, Woodruff Health Sciences Center, and chief executive officer of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Dr. Salmon currently is professor and associate dean for Graduate Studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. From 1991 to 1997, while on leave from her position as professor at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, she served as Director of the Division of Nursing for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Service, including five years as chief nurse for the Health Resources and Services Administration. She also has held academic and leadership positions in nursing, public health nursing and policy, and public health at the University of North Carolina and University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, among numerous honors. Dr. Michael M. E. Johns, executive vice president for Health Affairs and director of The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center, says "Marla Salmon is a gifted leader who arrives at an important time in the nursing school's history, as it begins offering a doctoral degree program and prepares to move into a new building suitable to its ambitious strategic plan. She has held both senior academic and senior government positions, where she was involved with training as well as research grants. We believe she will help enable the school to reach its full potential. Furthermore, her background and internationally recognized expertise will enhance the Woodruff Health Sciences Center's growing movement toward interdisciplinary collaboration in research, education, and clinical practice." Dr. Rebecca Chopp, executive vice president for Academic Affairs and provost, noted "Dr. Salmon's experience in and commitment to internationalism fits with the University's plan to internationalize Emory. Her depth and breadth in research will build up the research capacity of the nursing school, and her involvement in public health and in issues ranging from adolescence to aging, healthcare reform to values and ethics in public life, will help her build bridges from the nursing school to the other schools in the University." Both Dr. Johns and Dr. Chopp added their appreciation to Dr. Margaret Parsons, former associate dean for Academic Affairs at the school, who left a planned retirement to serve as interim dean for the past year. Dr. Salmon's appointment followed an intensive national search headed by James Curran, MD, MPH, Dean of the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Curran says "I am delighted that we have attracted Dr. Salmon to join Emory as our nursing leader and a great colleague for training future leaders in health care." Dr. David Blake, associate director of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center and vice president for Academic Health Affairs, was an active participant in the search. He seconded the enthusiasm of these others, saying "Dr. Salmon will be an outstanding colleague, bringing very complementary expertise to the leadership team." Born in South Dakota and reared in rural Northern California, Dr. Salmon received both a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Portland. In 1977, she earned a doctorate of science degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. She later was awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the University of Portland. After completing her nursing degree, she was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cologne, where she studied national health insurance and public health in Germany. Returning to the states, she practiced nursing at the emergency medicine department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, first as director of the patient advocacy program, then as director of nursing and associate director of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the hospital. During this time she also taught at Hopkins, in the School of Health Service and the School of Hygiene and Public Health, and completed her doctorate with a concentration in health policy and administration. Her research interests and extensive publications remain in the interests of health workforce and care outcomes and health policy. In 1978, Dr. Salmon joined the faculty of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota where she served at various times as acting director, Projects in Nursing Administration program; director, Public Health Nursing; director, Public Health Nursing Policy Center; and other leadership positions. During the mid-1980s, she was a W. K. Kellogg Fellow and a Fellow at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. In 1986, Dr. Salmon moved to the School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, soon becoming a full professor in public health nursing. She remained a professor on leave from 1991to 1997 while serving in key positions in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville. She joined the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing faculty in 1997 as professor and associate dean for Graduate Studies. Dr. Salmon has remained active in health policy, both domestic and internationally. She recently completed a six year stint as chair of the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. She was a member of the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform, a member of the U.S. Delegation at the 48th World Health Assembly, World Health Organization, and is currently chair of the Global Advisory Group on Nursing and Midwifery at the World Health Organization. She has served as a consultant to nursing programs and organizations in Central and Eastern Europe, Central and South America, and many American states. Dr. Salmon says, "Emory offers everything that I could want in a University: superb faculty and student body, wonderful resources and an exciting vision for the future that is well grounded in a history of academic innovation, integrity and excellence." "The values of discovery, teaching and service all within a broader framework of social responsibility are ones that mean a great deal to me personally and professionally. As well, the vision of a university (a UNI-versity) in which partnerships across disciplines and schools flourish, is one to which I am strongly committed." Dr. Salmon adds, "I am particularly impressed with the students at Emory. Clearly, they are among the best in the nation. It is exciting to be joining a place where tomorrow's leaders are a part of one's daily life. I have had the privilege of meeting with students during the interview process and was struck by both the quality of their thinking and the commitment to making contributions to the well-being of people and society as a whole. "The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is positioned to become the best in the nation and the world. The School has a long history of excellence and innovation that position it to lead the advancement of the science and practice of nursing. I am very excited to be joining such a fine institution at this important moment in its history. It isn't often that a School launches a new doctoral program, builds a new building, and enters into a new millennium all at the same point. I also am struck by the strong support of the broader university and health sciences center that are making these major strides possible."