McElroy Named Associate Dean for Baccalaureate Program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing

Baltimore, Md. -  Kathleen “Katie” McElroy, PhD ’16, MS ’10, BSN ’98, RN, CNE, associate professor, has been named associate dean for the baccalaureate program at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON). She had served as the interim associate dean since June 2023. 

As associate dean, McElroy is responsible for facilitating innovative program development and the integration of technology to shape the educational experiences of bachelor’s-level students. She also works to develop partnerships with other academic institutions and health care organizations to assist with the transition of transfer students and students who are graduates of associate degree nursing programs. 

UMSON’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is ranked No. 3 (tied) among public schools and No. 10 (tied) among all nursing schools nationwide by U.S. News & World Report. This past fall, UMSON admitted 220 entry BSN students, its largest class ever, between its Baltimore and Universities at Shady Grove (Rockville, Maryland) locations, reflecting the School’s commitment to responding to the demands of health care at a critical time of substantial nursing shortages.

The School was among the first in the nation to launch an entirely revised BSN curriculum for incoming students last fall, in alignment with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, an updated framework for nursing education using a competency-based approach. The curriculum responds to the Essentials’ direction for curricula that respond to the changing face of health care, necessitating updates to how nurses are prepared; in that vein, the BSN curriculum includes courses focusing on evidence-based practice, public and community health, social determinants of health, disease prevention, and palliative care. Two recent clinical practice initiatives with the University of Maryland Medical System — the Practicum to Practice Partnership and the Academy of Clinical Essentials — provide students expanded and advanced clinical opportunities.

McElroy brings considerable clinical experience to her role, having served for more than 13 years in a variety of settings, including as a registered nurse in the labor and delivery, high-risk antepartum, postpartum, and newborn nursery units at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Prior to her appointment as interim dean, McElroy served as vice chair of the Department of Family and Community Health beginning in 2021. She is involved in UMSON’s Community and Public Health Environmental Initiative and has served as the principal investigator on a $750,000 grant from the Maryland State Department of Education providing for the statewide expansion of this program. In 2019 - 20, she was selected as an UMSON Dean’s Teaching Scholar. In 2020, she received the University of Maryland School of Nursing Excellence in Teaching Award for Undergraduate Education. She is also a recipient of the University of Maryland Alumni Association Award for Outstanding Doctor of Philosophy Graduate.

McElroy is a three-time degree recipient from UMSON, having earned her PhD, her Master of Science degree in Community/Public Health Nursing, and her Bachelor of Science degrees from the School. She also earned a Certificate in Environmental Health from UMSON. 

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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.