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Ogbolu Named Chair of University of Maryland School of Nursing’s Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice Department
October 7, 2019
Baltimore, Md. – The University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) has named Yolanda Ogbolu, PhD ’11, MS ’05, BSN ’04, CRNP, FNAP, FAAN, as the chair of the Department of Partnerships, Professional Education, and Practice (PPEP). Since 2015, she has served as the director of the Office of Global Health within PPEP; she served as the office’s deputy director from 2010 to 2015.
As chair of PPEP, Ogbolu will serve as an administrative officer of one of UMSON’s five academic departments, leading departmental faculty members in UMSON’s tripartite mission of education, research and scholarship, and service. PPEP consists of 17 full-time and three part-time faculty members and 19 administrative staff members. The Department is diverse and consists of the Clinical Simulation Labs on the Baltimore Campus, the Governor’s Wellmobile Program, the Institute for Educators, the Office of Global Health, the Office of Professional Education, and the Standardized Patient Program, offered in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Ogbolu has held the rank of UMSON assistant professor since 2010, and since 2015, she has held a dual appointment as an assistant professor in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Master of Public Health program. During her tenure as director, the Office of Global Health developed new global health education opportunities, including courses for graduate and undergraduate students; a global health certificate program; service-learning courses for students to travel abroad; and 42 of UMSON’s courses now include global health content. Ogbolu has been responsible for forging and maintaining international partnerships and leading and facilitating meetings with international visitors and scholars, international nursing universities, and leaders from global ministries of health.
Ogbolu’s research and scholarship focus has been on health equity, social justice, and improving the lives of vulnerable newborns and their families. She is currently the principal investigator (PI) on the research project “Family Social Inclusion: Global Learning from Brazil to Baltimore,” funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Her clinical and professional experience includes 23 years as a neonatal nurse practitioner. She also brings extensive experience in health policy and community engagement to her new position. She serves as the chair of the interprofessional Taskforce on the Social Determinants of Health in Baltimore, led by the University of Maryland, Baltimore and established by the Maryland General Assembly, and previously served as the subcommittee co-chair for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Governor’s Taskforce on Cultural Competency and as a member of the Governor’s Epidemiology Taskforce on Infant Mortality.
“I am truly delighted that after a broad national search, Dr. Ogbolu has been selected as the chair of this important academic department,” said Dean Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN. “She has ably demonstrated her abilities as an educator, researcher, and administrative leader. In addition, her deep commitment to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable populations locally, nationally, and internationally is impressive, including service on numerous taskforces and committees here in Baltimore, developing international educational opportunities for our students, and improving the delivery of health care services in Africa and South America. We congratulate her on her appointment to this new role and look forward to her continuing contributions to the School of Nursing and those we serve.”
Ogbolu holds a PhD from the University of Maryland School of Nursing, where she also earned her master’s and Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees; she received her Associate Degree in Nursing from Baltimore City Community College. She has been recognized with numerous honors and awards, including as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, as a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, and as a RWJF Scholar. She has also been recognized with the Harriet Tubman Legacy in Maternal Child Health Nursing Award from the Minority Nurses Association of Maryland and with the Governor’s Citation Award.
Ogbolu succeeds Kathryn Lothschuetz Montgomery, PhD ’97, RN, NEA-BC, a retired rear admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service, associate professor and chair of PPEP, who retired Oct. 1, 2019. Montgomery joined UMSON in 1999 as senior specialist for clinical management and leadership; in 2000, she served as the acting chair of Education, Administration, Health Policy, and Informatics. After a brief period away from UMSON, she returned in 2003 and was named associate dean for Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives. In 2013, she became the chair of the newly established PPEP.
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The University of Maryland School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools in the nation and is ranked among the top nursing schools nationwide. Enrolling nearly 2,000 students in its baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment.