UCI appoints director for nursing science program

Ellen Olshansky, a veteran professor of nursing from the University of Pittsburgh, has been appointed as the founding director of UC Irvine’s new nursing science program.

A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Olshansky has more than 30 years of experience as a researcher, practitioner and administrator. She will start in her new position, created by UCI’s College of Health Sciences, on July 1.

“I am thrilled to join such a dynamic university in this exciting new endeavor,” Olshansky said in a release. “With the acute shortage of both clinical nurses and nursing faculty, our new program in nursing science will meet a critical need. I look forward to working collaboratively with my new colleagues at UC Irvine and with the nursing and health care community in Orange County and beyond.”

UCI launched its nursing science program in 2005 and first accepted students in the 2006-07 school year. More than 100 undergraduates are currently enrolled in the program.

— Michael Miller