Courtney Lyder to Step Down as Dean of the School of Nursing

UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

TO: Vice Chancellors, Deans, Department Chairs, Directors, Administrative Officers, and School of Nursing Faculty and Staff

Dear Colleagues:

Courtney Lyder, dean of the UCLA School of Nursing, has informed me that he would like to return full time to the faculty effective July 1, 2015. He will therefore step down as dean at that time. Chancellor Block and I thank Dean Lyder for his service to the School of Nursing.

Since joining UCLA in 2008, Dean Lyder has reorganized the school, recruited new faculty and staff members, established new international partnerships and exchanges, and overseen the much-needed remodeling of facilities in the Factor Building. The school underwent successful accreditation reviews by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education in 2010 and by the California Board of Registered Nursing in 2011.

Dean Lyder’s research focuses on gerontology and chronic care issues affecting older adults. He has addressed pressure ulcer prevention, identifying erythema in darkly pigmented skin, wound healing, quality improvement in skilled nursing facilities and elder patient safety. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine. In 2011, he was appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius to the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. In 2012, he was presented with the National League of Nursing President’s Award and awarded an honorary doctorate by Saint Xavier University for his significant contributions to advancing nursing and health.

Linda Sarna has been providing leadership for the School of Nursing as acting dean this year, while Dean Lyder is on leave. Chancellor Block and I are very grateful to Acting Dean Sarna for agreeing to continue in this role until a permanent appointment is made. We expect to launch a national search during the 2015–16 academic year, and I will keep you informed about this process.

Please join me in wishing Dean Lyder well in this next phase of his career.

Sincerely,

Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost