New Nursing School dean chosen

Marion Broome has been named dean of the School of Nursing.

Broome will replace Catherine Gilliss, who has served in the position for 10 years and announced her intent to step down last September. Currently the dean of the Indiana University School of Nursing, Broome will also serve as associate vice president of academic affairs for nursing at Duke University Health System—a new position created to form a closer partnership between the School of Nursing and DUHS.

“Dr. Broome brings valuable experience in managing a complex system and aligning nursing academics with care delivery, having served as the dean of a highly regarded nursing school as well as associate vice president for academic affairs at Indiana University Health System,” said Dr. Victor Dzau, CEO and president of DUHS and chancellor for health affairs, in a Duke Medicine News release. “Her skills as a proven leader are exactly the qualities we sought in bringing her to Duke.”

Broome has published five books and is editor-in-chief of Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing and the Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science. Her research focuses on pain interventions for children.

The search committee for the new dean received nominations from across the country, said Dr. James Tulsky, professor of medicine and nursing and chair of the committee. Broome was one of four finalists brought to campus for interviews.

The new role of associate vice president of academic affairs is a particularly exciting opportunity, Tulsky said.

"One of the things we’re looking for is a close partnership with the health system," Tulsky said, noting that such a partnership could differentiate Broome's time as dean.

Broome will assume her positions Aug. 1. As Gilliss prepares to step down, she leaves a legacy of distinct growth—a decade in which the school doubled its enrollment and constructed a new building.

"Dean Gilliss has been an outstanding dean and has done an excellent job of taking the Nursing School from a place where it was growing and... bringing it up to a very high profile and making it a top 10 nursing school," Tulsky said. "She leaves big shoes to fill."