Dr. Menon brings a wealth of nursing leadership experience and academic achievement to her new role. 

TAMPA, Fla. (Nov 24, 2020) – The University of South Florida has appointed Usha Menon, PhD, RN, FAAN, as new dean of the USF Health College of Nursing and senior associate vice president of USF Health.

Dr. Menon joined USF Health in September 2018 as Professor and Vice Dean of Research for the College, and has served as interim dean of the College since February of this year.

“Dr. Menon brings to this role a wealth of nursing leadership experience and academic achievement,” said Charles Lockwood, MD, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine.

“She will be a powerful advocate for interprofessional and evidence-based approaches to nursing across the state. I have great confidence in her leadership and continuing desire to advance USF Health’s pursuit of excellence in education, research and patient care.”

“Though Dr. Menon isn’t entirely new to us, she’s new enough to have fresh perspectives and ideas, and also new enough that we all learned things about her through this process that we didn’t know before,” said Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, professor and dean of the USF Health College of Public Health, senior associate vice president of USF Health, and chair of the College of Nursing Dean Search Committee.

“Recruited to the College as the associate dean for research, we knew of her accomplishments as a scholar and her passion for nursing science. We were not as aware of her extensive experience in clinical practice, in teaching at all levels, in nursing faculty practice, and in global work. We were impressed by her enthusiasm and her vision for the future, completely undaunted by current events. Her energy was inspiring and beyond being a great choice for the permanent position of dean, her fellow deans of USF Health are delighted by her selection and look forward to co-conspiring in interprofessional, transdisciplinary, and cross-College efforts to “make life better” for all members of our community.”

Dr. Menon will lead more than 230 faculty and staff, 234 volunteer faculty and more than 2,000 nursing students in baccalaureate, master’s, PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. USF College of Nursing tops Florida’s state universities in National Institutes of Health funding for research. The college is also nationally recognized as one of the top veteran-friendly nursing colleges in the nation. Dr. Menon will be the sixth dean of the USF Health College of Nursing since the college was first founded in 1973.

“I am honored to be named dean of the USF Health College of Nursing,” Dr. Menon said. “I am also humbled by the confidence and support of President Currall and Dr. Lockwood as we aim to make the USF Health College of Nursing a top 20 U.S. nursing school. I came to USF to follow my research dreams and I have fallen in love with this college and community. This is such a pivotal time to be a nurse and now more than ever we need to ensure that we are preparing nurses for the frontlines and beyond. We will go forward with an audacious plan to showcase our college’s aspirations and achievements, but I am most excited that our college community is firmly with me in this journey. I am so grateful to lead and work with a dedicated group of faculty, staff, students, alumni and USF community.”

Before joining USF Health, Dr. Menon she served as a tenured Professor and Associate Dean of Research and Global Innovation at the University of Arizona-Tucson, College of Nursing and co-PI of the NIH-funded All of Us Research Program designed to speed up health research and medical breakthroughs by creating a one million person detailed clinical database. She previously served as Vice Dean of the Ohio State College of Nursing.

She received her BSN from Lander University and her MS and PhD in Nursing Science from Indiana University.

Dr. Menon has been consistently funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and national foundations, garnering about $60 million in total research awards.  She has contributed 80 peer review publications and has over 150 presentations at national and international meetings.  She has served on multiple NIH study sections and national society committees. Her primary research interests have been in optimizing cancer screening regimens and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in cancer and other health outcomes.  Her interests in nursing education have focused on increasing diversity of thought, scholarship and innovative curricular elements.  Her global health interests include nursing workforce and curricular development in Ethiopia and India, as well as initiating cervical cancer “screen and treat” programs in sub-Saharan Africa and India.

Dr. Menon is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, a recipient of the NIH National Research Service Award, and an inductee of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. She has been honored as a Top 100 Alumni Legacy Leader by the Indiana University School of Nursing.