Bobbie Berkowitz, Dean of the School of Nursing, to Step Down Aug. 31

January 25, 2018

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
 
Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Dean of the School of Nursing and Senior Vice President at Columbia University Irving Medical Center since 2010, has advised us of her wish to step down on August 31, 2018.  We have accepted her decision with tremendous appreciation for her distinguished leadership, which has comprehensively strengthened the school.
 
Columbia’s School of Nursing is thriving, with a national and international reputation for innovation in graduate nursing education, clinical excellence, and research.  Its PhD and post-doctoral programs attract the best scholars from all over the world, and the school now requires the doctoral degree for all nurses seeking to practice as nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives.  The high quality of research conducted by faculty and students is reflected in the outstanding levels of funding support they receive from the National Institutes of Health and other funders.  The School has distinguished itself as a leader in improving the health of individuals and families, through the care provided by their faculty in the School’s locally-based Nurse Practitioner Group Practice, which serves as a national model for expanding the delivery of primary care in urban communities.
 
The epicenter for all of this work is the School’s stunning new building, completed last August.  It is the culmination of Dr. Berkowitz’s vision to create a home for students, faculty, and staff that would inspire creativity, innovation, and excellence across all disciplines.  
 
We want to extend our gratitude to Dr. Berkowitz for her remarkable leadership and service to Columbia and to the field of nursing.  A search committee will be formed shortly to begin a national search for her successor.
 
Sincerely,
 
Lee C. Bollinger
President
 
Lee Goldman, M.D.
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center