The UC Board of Regents this week approved the appointment of Heather Young, a nurse leader, educator and scientist from Portland, Ore., as associate vice chancellor for nursing at UC Davis.

Young, a nationally recognized expert in gerontological nursing and rural health, will lead a new school of nursing at UC Davis. The UC Board of Regents, which approved Young's appointment on Monday, is now reviewing the nursing school. Upon the regents' anticipated approval of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Young will also be named dean of the school.

Young currently serves as the Grace Phelps Distinguished Professor, director of Rural Health Research Development and director of the John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at the Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

"Heather's record demonstrates her ability to inspire the kind of collaboration essential for creating the novel, interprofessional learning environment we are seeking to establish at a new school of nursing," said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "Her notable energy level will be of tremendous value in shaping an innovative curriculum, recruiting top faculty and securing support for the school."

UC Davis is establishing the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing with a $100 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the largest philanthropic commitment in the nation in support of nursing education. The UC Davis School of Nursing will bear the name of visionary philanthropist Betty Irene Moore, who with her husband established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

The school anticipates accepting its first class of 50 candidates for the Master of Science in nursing program and eight candidates for the doctoral program in the fall of 2009. Candidates for the Bachelor's of Science in nursing degree will enroll within the following two years.

Graduates will serve as educators, researchers and leaders of health-care teams that advance patient-care quality and safety, prevent and treat disease, and improve access to health care in an ever-changing and increasingly complex national health-care system.

"The emphasis at UC Davis on reaching out to medically underserved communities, improving patient safety and collaborating across multiple disciplines is a great match for my own interests and priorities," Young said. "UC Davis has embarked on a course to create a different kind of nursing school, one that goes beyond traditional boundaries, and I am thrilled to be a part of it."

Young is a UC Davis alumna who graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in dietetics. She later earned an associate's degree in nursing from Sacramento City College, and then a bachelor's degree in nursing from Southern Oregon State College. Young then went to the University of Washington, where she received a master's degree in nursing with a specialty in gerontology and, later, a doctorate in nursing science.

Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor of human health sciences at UC Davis and dean of the School of Medicine, said, "Heather's breadth of innovative leadership successes, knowledge of nursing and passion for a healthier world make her a terrific match for our desire to impart to our future students a complex array of knowledge and skills that transcend those of traditional nursing programs."

Young's research has focused on environments that promote healthy aging, with a particular focus on the interface between family and formal health-care systems for older adults.

With a teaching career that has reached both undergraduate and graduate-level students, Young has led students through clinical, theory, research and gerontological courses. She also has regularly participated in community education, bringing the academic perspective to health-care providers in the field.

In addition, Young also has experience as a hospital nurse practicing in the operating room and critical intensive care units, and as a nurse practitioner in community-based long-term care.

As associate vice chancellor for nursing, Young will be paid an annual salary of $350,000.

More information: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/nursing. David Ong is a senior public information representative for the UC Davis Health System.