GMercyU Appoints New Dean of the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions
Gwynedd Mercy University has named Ann Gibbons Phalen, PhD, CRNP, NNP-BC as the new Dean of the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions. She will succeed Andrea Hollingsworth, PhD, RN who will retire on August 10, 2018 after serving as Dean for the past 17 years.
Dr. Phalen comes to Gwynedd Mercy University from Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University), where she has served in multiple administrative positions in the Jefferson College of Nursing, including most recently as Interim Dean for more than a year. She taught at both the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Holy Family University before her arrival at Jefferson. Her area of clinical expertise is Neonatal Nursing functioning as a Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nurse Practitioner.
"Dr. Phalen's professional accomplishments and her highly-regarded connections to the Philadelphia health care community make her the perfect person to take the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions to a new level," said Frank Scully, PhD, Gwynedd Mercy University's Vice President for Academic Affairs. "Her extensive experience will prove to be invaluable as we continue to advance our nursing and health professions programs."
At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Phalen participated in several federally-supported research projects. In the Jefferson College of Nursing, she was responsible for the oversight of a major redesign of the undergraduate curriculum and its implementation. This innovative curriculum has received national recognition.
Following Jefferson's merger with several area hospitals, Dr. Phalen was responsible for implementing the BSN program on the satellite campuses. She jointly led the process for creating business plans, building budgets, planning structural renovations, hiring and educating faculty, and securing the approval for these programs from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing and accrediting agencies.
"It is an honor to join the Gwynedd Mercy University community as the next dean of the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions," said Dr. Phalen. "I look forward to building on Dean Andrea Hollingsworth's legacy of supporting the mercy mission and advancing academic excellence to improve the health of communities by transforming nursing and health professions."
Dr. Phalen holds a PhD, a Post-Master's NNP Certificate, and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Misericordia.
For more than 60 years, The Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions has been a leader and innovator in nursing and health care education. In addition to the University's accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions' baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Allied Health Programs at GMercyU also hold specialized accreditation in their respective fields. GMercyU's Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to helping students advance their careers, improve health care delivery, and achieve better patient outcomes. There are more than 7,000 nursing alumni who represent the University in the local community and beyond.