Courtney H. Lyder named dean of School of Nursing

Courtney H. Lyder has been appointed new dean of the UCLA School of Nursing, announced Scott L. Waugh, acting executive vice chancellor and provost. Lyder's appointment will be effective August 1, 2008, subject to approval by the Regents. Professor Adeline M. Nyamathi will serve as acting dean until Dr. Lyder's arrival.

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Lyder has been a faculty member at the University of Virginia (U.Va.). He currently chairs U.Va.'s acute and specialty care department in the School of Nursing, where he leads 25 full-time and 22 part-time faculty members. He is also a chaired professor of nursing and a professor of internal medicine and geriatrics.

In 2006, Dr. Lyder was appointed director for diversity initiatives for U.Va.'s School of Nursing and Medical Center, where he sought to develop "a Medical Center staff that looks like the populations they serve." In the past year, the number of students of color entering nursing graduate programs there increased by 15%.

Said Waugh: "I believe that Dr. Lyder will make a wonderful addition to the UCLA family and will strengthen our efforts to build and maintain a diverse campus community while building our academic programs."

Dr. Lyder is also a senior consultant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he has influenced federal regulations and policies related to elder care throughout the U.S. As principal investigator or co-investigator, Dr. Lyder has received nearly $12 million over the past 15 years in research and training grants related to the care of older adults.

Between 1994 and 2003, Dr. Lyder served on the faculty at Yale University in the School of Nursing, where he directed a number of programs specializing in adult, family, women's and elder care, as well as chronic wound care. Dr. Lyder received his B.S., M.S. and N.D. from Rush University and his B.A. from Beloit College.

"Chancellor Gene Block and I are very pleased with this appointment," said Waugh. "We are excited about the School of Nursing's future under Dr. Lyder's leadership even as we mourn the recent loss of Marie Cowan. We remain grateful for Dean Cowan's many outstanding contributions to the School of Nursing and to UCLA, and we believe that Dr. Lyder will maintain the strong trajectory she set for the school."