Media contact: Ashlea Hudak, College of Nursing Communications Phone: (813)396-9642 Email: ahudak@health.usf.edu
Meredeth A. Rowe Named Lewis and Leona Hughes Endowed Chair in Nursing Science at USF Health Tampa, FL (July 20, 2011) – The College of Nursing at the University of South Florida is pleased to announce the appointment of Meredeth A. Rowe, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, as Professor and Lewis and Leona Hughes Endowed Chair in Nursing Science. Dr. Rowe joins USF from the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, where she was a Professor and Nurse Scientist with the Veterans Administration. Known as a leading nurse scientist in geriatrics and Alzheimer’s research, Dr. Rowe joins a world-class innovative nursing faculty at USF ranked 28th nationally in National Institutes of Health funding. "I am exhilarated about announcing the arrival of a faculty member with the national prestige of Dr. Meredeth Rowe,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, RN, PhD, FAAN, Senior Associate Vice President for USF Health and Dean of the College of Nursing. “The expertise and fresh outlook she brings to USF will aid her as she develops the Lewis and Leona Hughes Endowed Chair in Nursing Science to its fullest potential.” Dr. Rowe completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at University of Cincinnati, her master’s degree in critical care nursing at California State University, Long Beach, her PhD in physiologic and psychosocial stress and coping at the University of Rochester and a post-doctoral fellowship in geriatric nursing research at the Hartford Institute at New York University. Dr. Rowe is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America. Dr. Rowe achieved national renown for her work with persons with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease or autism, and their caregivers. Dr. Rowe’s work about caregiving challenges led to the development of a night home monitoring system (AlzAlert™) that can be used to manage nighttime activity, thus reducing injuries and giving the caregiver peace of mind. Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. currently guide their searches for lost persons with Alzheimer’s disease based on her research in this area. "The College of Nursing at the University of South Florida is the ideal place for me to accelerate my research and the sharing of valuable results," said Dr. Rowe. "Additional tools and techniques for caregivers of cognitively impaired persons will be an enormous benefit to the greater Tampa Bay area." Ranked 34th in federal research expenditures for public universities by the National Science Foundation, the University of South Florida is a high impact global research university. As part of USF Health, the College of Nursing achieved more than $4.8 million in external funding for faculty and students in fiscal year 2011. Dr. Rowe’s research expertise and experience with the Veterans Administration will allow her to successfully interact with and enhance the efforts of the College’s Centers for Research Excellence in Women’s Health, Veteran’s Health, Oncology and End-of-Life Care, Symptom Management, and Cognitive Function/Psychoneuroimmunology.
USF Health USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida’s colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. Ranked 34 th in federal research expenditures for public universities by the National Science Foundation, the University of South Florida is a high impact global research university dedicated to student success.