Campus Ushers in Centennial Anniversary of Nursing School

Faculty, staff and students withstood the characteristically cold weather in Saunders Court last Wednesday to celebrate the kickoff of the yearlong 100th anniversary celebration of the UCSF School of Nursing. The noontime festivities on Sept. 13 included lively music provided by a 1906-style brass band, free barbecue food and the unfurling of a three-story centennial banner on the front of the School of Nursing building. This week, the city also will display along the streets of San Francisco commemorative banners marking the nursing school's 100-year history. Kathleen Dracup, RN, DNSc, dean of the UCSF School of Nursing, welcomed attendees to the historic event. "This is a celebration of a century of excellence in nursing education, research and clinical care," she said. "Today's kickoff is the first of a yearlong series of events that will honor the accomplishments and the leadership of UCSF's nurses throughout the School of Nursing, the medical center and around the world." Chancellor Mike Bishop, MD, noted that the School of Nursing has been consistently rated among the top nursing schools in the United States. This past year, for example, it was No. 1 in receiving research grants from the National Institutes of Health. "It has achieved international renown for research that has improved nursing practice and for educating generations of nursing leaders, particularly faculty," Bishop said. "Across the campus -- at UCSF Medical Center and the hospitals and clinics served by UCSF --nurses lead innovations in patient care, hospital safety, and support for patients and families coping with illness." Mark Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Medical Center, thanked the nurses of the past, present and future "who come through this school and make such a difference in patients' lives… This is where the best care happens." Some faculty reflected on the significance of the special occasion. "I think the school represents something not just to the nation, but to the world that really does bespeak excellence in nursing care, nursing research and nursing education," said Sally Rankin, RN, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Family Health Care Nursing. "This is an incredibly unusual place. I've been at five other universities, and there are none that come close to the UCSF School of Nursing. The quality of the students, the quality of the faculty and the quality of the medical center come together in a unique way that can't be matched anyplace." Rankin, who first came to UCSF in 1984 as one of the first six students in the doctoral program, departs September 17 for a month in Africa to do a study on the influence of religious organizations on HIV prevention and AIDS care. She said that joining the faculty, becoming a family nurse practitioner, teaching and conducting research have been highlights of her career. Speaking from the perspective of the chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences department, Howard Pinderhughes, PhD, also shared his thoughts about the anniversary. "It is an important day because of the central role that UCSF plays in defining health care, defining what it means to be on the cutting edge of nursing. Social and Behavioral Sciences is deeply integrated into that mission. For us, it's also a wonderful time to reflect on where we've been and where we're going. For us in Social and Behavioral Sciences, we're coming up on the 40th anniversary in the School of Nursing, and it's time to think about the way to take nursing to the next level." Pinderhughes' work with at-risk and disadvantaged youths in San Francisco is another example of the nursing school's commitment to improving health and shaping policy. "I do research with community members and community-based organizations around the issue of violence, but also help in the development of programs and policies to try to further violence prevention in the city," he said. "That's indicative of a lot of the types of community-based work among the faculty here in the School of Nursing, from the standpoint of clinical practices that exist in the community, as well as a lot of community-based research projects that engage community organizations and members to try to tackle problems with programs as well as policy." One of the largest contingents of students attending the event was the first-year students in the Advanced Community Health and International Nursing Specialty master's degree program. William Holzemer, associate dean for international programs, said this is another reflection of the history of the school. "From the beginning, our school has viewed nursing and health on an international scale," he said. For more information and updates about the UCSF nursing centennial throughout the year, go to School of Nursing website. Photos/Elisabeth Fall