Retired UMSON Professor Awarded Associate Professor Emerita Status

Meg Johantgen served at UMSON for more than two decades

Baltimore, Md. - Mary Ellen “Meg” Johantgen, PhD, RN, has been appointed associate professor emerita by University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS. Johantgen served as a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) for more than 22 years, including as associate dean for the PhD program from 2014 - 19. She retired in September 2020.

Emeritus status may be awarded to a retired faculty member who has made significant and extraordinary contributions through excellent teaching, scholarship, or service; such designations must be approved by the UMB president.

Upon joining UMSON in 1998, Johantgen served as a lecturer and then as an assistant professor; she was appointed associate professor with tenure in 2003. She served as a member of the UMB graduate research faculty during her entire tenure at UMSON. She also served as the interim associate dean and then the associate dean for the PhD program from 2013 until stepping down in late 2019 to ensure a seamless transition in anticipation of her retirement.

“We congratulate Dr. Johantgen on this prestigious and well-deserved honor,” said Jane Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Bill and Joanne Conway Dean of the School of Nursing. “Dr. Johantgen’s service to the School and the University was exemplary across all areas of our tripartite mission. As an educator and mentor to students, she excelled, chairing 33 dissertation committees and serving on 37 others. She has been a beloved advisor to countless students and instrumental in developing the next generation of researchers, scholars, and teachers. Even in retirement, she continues to guide and support present and former students and faculty members. We are truly grateful for her legacy of service.”

Johantgen has been recognized nationally and internationally as an expert in the field of health services research, with a focus on nurses’ impact on patient care quality and safety. She has disseminated her research and scholarship broadly and influenced health policy through service on national committees and consultancies, including the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, and the Maryland Department of Health.

Johantgen’s demonstrated expertise in program evaluation, research methodology, and the analysis of large data sets contributed to her ability to secure significant research funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, among others. She has over 75 publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, many of which were data based and collaborative efforts with doctoral students and faculty.

Throughout her career at UMSON, Johantgen taught in the PhD, DNP, and master’s programs; chaired and served on dozens of dissertation committees; and advised countless students. As associate dean, she secured funding from RWJF for support of four highly prestigious RWJF Future Nursing Scholars at the School, was nominated twice for the Dr. Patricia Sokolove Outstanding Mentor Award from the UMB Graduate School, and received the UMSON 2020 Distinguished Teaching Award. Johantgen’s excellence as a teacher and mentor is evidenced by the success of her former PhD students, several of whom now hold significant leadership roles, including deanships, at other universities.

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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 more than 2,100 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.