Dual dean and health executive role bridges academia, practice

Nurse leaders who fill dual dean and health executive roles can foster direct collaboration between nursing schools and health systems, benefiting both academia and practice, says Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, RN. Henderson, who serves as dean of the University of Florida College of Nursing and CNE for UF Health in Gainesville, ensures nursing education responds to clinical realities. She shapes a curriculum that directly prepares students for the challenges they will face as new nurses. Henderson has made resilience and self-care part of the curriculum to improve retention after they enter the workforce. Henderson says students who train in hospitals where their deans lead operations are able to form early connections to the health system, increasing loyalty, reducing orientation time and improving retention. (Nurse.com article, 9/4/25)