School of Nursing dean finalist

Carmen Giurgescu gave a presentation last Thursday on her career qualifications for the UTRGV School of Nursing dean position during an interview process open to the campus community.

Giurgescu is a professor and an associate dean of research at the University of Central Florida. 

She earned a doctorate in nursing from Loyola University of Chicago in 2004. Giurgescu was a postdoctoral fellow from 2004 to 2006 in the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

With her 15 years of experience as a labor and delivery nurse and women’s health care nurse practitioner, she developed pioneering research on identifying “fundamental factors that underlie high rates of pre-term birth among Black women,” according to UCF. 

During the interview process, Giurgescu said she is a strong supporter of health equity and collaborated within UCF and the U.S. Department of Education for a program called ENFERMERÍA, with the goal of increasing the number of students of Hispanic descent in DNP, the doctoral and master’s programs. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Giurgescu said she has been supporting faculty at UCF in obtaining grants for their augmented and virtual reality and high-fidelity simulators as well as their Telehealth programs, which offer virtual visits via phone or computer with a health-care provider or primary care physician. 

She also talked about the possibility of collaborating with local middle and high schools across the Rio Grande Valley to increase the number of nurses in the region. 

“To attract students to tell them about the profession … it’s a matter of our passion, to show it to those students,” Giurgescu said. 

She emphasized her support of mentorships and interprofessional collaborations. 

“It’s a matter of really doing a needs assessment of what the hospitals and clinical partners need to see what potential new programs should be out there,” Giurgescu said. 

During the questions section, an attendee asked how she would adapt her qualifications and research to UTRGV. 

Giurgescu replied that it is a matter of collaborating with administration.

“I came to the United States without speaking English and I used to be a technician going 40 hours a week to work so I can get my tuition benefits from Loyola [University Chicago]” Giurgescu said. “I try to adapt as much as I can, but it’s not possible without the support of others.”

Clinical Assistant Professor Betty John asked what Giurgescu would do regarding the need for equality between the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses. 

Giurgescu replied that she had the opportunity to visit both campuses the day before and said there are spacing and equality concerns between both campuses. 

Andrea Ramos, a nursing junior, said she has been in the nursing program for only one semester but thinks the school needs more organization and it should be expanded. 

“The School of Nursing right now is a little bit unorganized,” Ramos said. “And it definitely needs some guidance. So, I think we need someone with strong leadership skills to fill in for the dean.”

Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said the search committee for the School of Nursing dean “is currently working within the search firm to identify the other finalist.”

“Once additional finalists are identified, they will be announced to the campus community.”