Nancy Ridenour, PhD, RN, APRN, BC, FAAN, joins Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing as president and the Maxine Clark and Bob Fox dean and professor. Nancy Ridenour, PhD, RN, APRN, BC, FAAN, joins Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing as president and the Maxine Clark and Bob Fox dean and professor in September.
Her impressive experience in nursing, academics and leadership will further the College’s mission of preparing a highly capable and compassionate health care workforce skilled in patient care delivery, leadership, research and scientific discovery.
Although she began as a chemical engineering student, Dr. Ridenour decided that by becoming a nurse she could combine her interest in science with her desire to provide compassionate care for people. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science from the College of Nursing, University of Colorado, Denver, and completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University, Lubbock.
Dr. Ridenour’s clinical care experience includes nursing positions in critical care, ICU, med-surg, primary care, public health and school health. She began her academic career in nursing education at the University of Colorado and continued it at Texas Tech, where she was one of three faculty members involved in starting the College of Nursing. She then served as Dean and Professor at Illinois State University College of Nursing. There she led the transition from a freestanding, private nursing college to the first health professions college on a large state university campus. Immediately prior to joining Goldfarb, she served as Dean and Professor of the Univeristy of New Mexico College of Nursing, Albuquerque.
In addition to her academic leadership roles, Dr. Ridenour served as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, Institute of Medicine, in Washington, D.C., where she worked with the United States House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means. She is the recipient of two Fulbright-Hays fellowships from the International Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies, participating in study tours of Egypt and Jordan and of China. Additional international experience includes work in Peru, Thailand, Mexico, Cuba, India, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica.
Dr. Ridenour has held leadership positions with numerous national professional organizations, including the American Nurses Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Public Health Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Society of Primary Care Policy Fellows, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As a certified nurse practitioner, Dr. Ridenour understands the many challenges facing Goldfarb’s future graduates and current alumni. She looks forward to continuing to produce outstanding nurses prepared to participate in the design of the health care landscape and provide the exceptional care that betters the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve.
Welcome, Dr. Ridenour!
