UCSF School of Nursing

UCSF School of Nursing Our mission is to educate diverse health leaders, conduct research, and advance nursing practice.

Commonly known as bedsores, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, or HAPIs, are painful and hard to treat. For her doctor...
09/04/2026

Commonly known as bedsores, hospital-acquired pressure injuries, or HAPIs, are painful and hard to treat.

For her doctoral scholarly project, Jessica Butzer, RN, a clinical nurse at UCSF Health, introduced a best-practice assessment to prevent HAPIs in the pediatric care unit.

“To find something that the evidence says works, and then do something that helps our facility as a whole, is awesome,” Butzer said.

From preventing pressure injuries to avoiding dangerous medication mistakes, the projects addressed by the inaugural cohort of our BSN Entry to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) pathway are helping clinicians in the Bay Area tackle some of their most complex problems.

Learn more about this academic-practice partnership in our new story: tiny.ucsf.edu/SON26AcademicPracticePartnership

Image description: Shannon Fitzpatrick, DNP ’25, RN, CCRN, mentors student Jessica Butzer, RN, on her doctoral quality improvement project.

Indigenous villagers in Guatemala burn plastic to dispose of waste and stoke cooking fires, unwittingly exposing themsel...
09/01/2026

Indigenous villagers in Guatemala burn plastic to dispose of waste and stoke cooking fires, unwittingly exposing themselves to dangerous pollutants. An ambitious project led by School of Nursing professor Lisa Thompson, PhD, FNP, FAAN, aims to change that.

Thompson co-launched Ecolectivos, a collaboration among researchers at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, Emory University, and UCSF, to assess whether strategic changes in behavior can reduce exposures to plastic combustion by-products in women of reproductive age.

Read more about their research from Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16082026/project-aims-to-help-guatemalans-plagued-by-plastic-pollution/

📷: Michael Kodas/Inside Climate News

Image description: Thompson (right) and Soila Elizabeth Cruz, a local environmental health leader, catch up on the project's progress.

We are thrilled to congratulate alum Christopher Lance Coleman, PhD, MPH, FAAN, on his appointment as dean of the Howard...
08/28/2026

We are thrilled to congratulate alum Christopher Lance Coleman, PhD, MPH, FAAN, on his appointment as dean of the Howard University College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.

Coleman is a proven leader with past roles spanning some of the nation's most respected academic and health science institutions, including Oakland University, Purdue University, Indiana University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

His research, which has focused on understanding the factors that influence health-promoting behaviors in older African American men with HIV and HIV risk factors in vulnerable populations, has made a substantial and significant contribution towards reducing the transmission of HIV-AIDS.

Read more from Howard University: https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/howard-university-welcomes-dr-christopher-lance-coleman-new-dean-college-nursing-and-allied-health

Nearly one-third of nursing homes in Massachusetts fail to comply with staffing standards for registered nurses.Register...
08/26/2026

Nearly one-third of nursing homes in Massachusetts fail to comply with staffing standards for registered nurses.

Registered nurse hours are the most important care hours a facility provides, said professor emeritus Charlene Harrington.

Only registered nurses are trained to make care plans and identify problems like strokes or heart attacks. They also oversee other nursing staff. Research shows that registered nurse staffing ratios are strongly linked to quality and safety.

“You see all kinds of problems get worse when you don’t have the RNs,” Harrington said.

Read more from the Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/nursing-homes-massachusetts-understaffed-care-9f12003fe034e3cf4027948d5f6cc013

With an eye for innovation and improved quality of care, alumni of our Post-Master's Entry to the Doctor of Nursing Prac...
08/24/2026

With an eye for innovation and improved quality of care, alumni of our Post-Master's Entry to the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) pathway are leading the future of health care systems, education, and policy.

Read about the incredible achievements of three of our recent graduates in our new story: tiny.ucsf.edu/SON26DNPAlumniInnovation

Featured are:
— Rubi Alva de Hickson, DNP ’24, ACNP-BC, PHN, a cardiac intensive care nurse at UCSF Health and an international advocate for nurses and patients
— Toby Marsh, DNP ’25, RN, FACHE, senior vice president of National Patient Care Services and chief nurse executive at Kaiser Permanente
— Amber Ramage, DNP '25, EdM, FNP-BC, an assistant clinical professor at the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and nurse practitioner at the Sacramento County Refugee Health Clinic

Image description: Alva de Hickson and a colleague check on a patient in the cardiac intensive care unit.

Are psychedelic drugs the next frontier in mental health care? UCSF School of Nursing professor Andrew Penn, MS, NP, PMH...
08/21/2026

Are psychedelic drugs the next frontier in mental health care?

UCSF School of Nursing professor Andrew Penn, MS, NP, PMHNP, is co-founder of the Organization of Psychedelic and Entheogenic Nurses, a group that advocates for a nursing perspective in psychedelic-assisted therapies.

"We still have a lot of people who aren’t getting better from things like depression and PTSD," he said. "There’s a huge need for innovation, and psychedelics are one of those innovations.”

Read more from the UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing about this groundbreaking area of research: https://nursing.uci.edu/news-events/humanitas-magazine/post/a-safe-trip/

Efforts to reduce unnecessary opioid prescribing have reshaped pain care across the United States. But in nursing homes,...
08/19/2026

Efforts to reduce unnecessary opioid prescribing have reshaped pain care across the United States. But in nursing homes, those changes raise a challenging question: Even as opioid reductions may improve safety for some patients, are others being left without adequate pain relief?

Professor Ulrike Muench, PhD, RN, FAAN, led a study that examined opioid prescribing patterns using data from nearly 3 million nursing home residents. Read our Q&A to find out what she and her team discovered: tiny.ucsf.edu/SON26MuenchQA

Image description: An older person's hands opening a colorful pill organizer.

We are thrilled to congratulate alum Allison R. Webel, PhD '09, RN, FAAN, who was welcomed last month as the 10th dean o...
08/17/2026

We are thrilled to congratulate alum Allison R. Webel, PhD '09, RN, FAAN, who was welcomed last month as the 10th dean of the University of Michigan School of Nursing.

Previously the associate dean for research and innovation at the University of Washington School of Nursing, Webel has focused her career on improving health outcomes and quality of life for people living with chronic conditions, advancing healthy aging, and fostering interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaboration to address complex health care challenges.

"From an early age, I was drawn to nursing because it brings together science, service, and deep human connection," she said. "Over the years, that calling has only deepened my belief that at its best, nursing helps make people, families, and communities stronger, kinder, and more hopeful."

Read more from the University of Michigan School of Nursing: https://nursing.umich.edu/about/news-portal/202607-university-michigan-school-nursing-welcomes-allison-webel-dean

08/14/2026

Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die early from cancer, heart disease, and stroke than those living in cities. A key reason for this difference? Limited access to health care.

On this episode of Illuminating Health, the UCSF School of Nursing's official podcast, associate professor Elizabeth Castillo shares how her childhood in California’s San Joaquin Valley shaped her understanding of health care access and inspired her career path, and discusses why nurses are uniquely equipped to lead efforts to increase primary care access in rural communities.

🎧 Listen to the episode: tiny.ucsf.edu/SON26PodcastECastillo

Video description: A 60-second promotional clip for the Illuminating Health podcast. Against a navy blue background, an image of Elizabeth Castillo appears on the left while a waving audio wave graphic moves on the right. Throughout the clip, spoken words pop up on screen in white, above the Illuminating Health podcast logo and the title of the episode "Nurses Leading the Future of Rural Health."

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