Incoming Director of the School of Nursing

Dr Elizabeth Saewyc will have been at UBC for 13 years when she takes the title of Director of the School of Nursing on July 1, 2017. She comes to this new role within the School with a varied background that includes experience as a journalist, former head of a marketing communications company, a public health nurse, and a nurse researcher leading the interdisciplinary Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC) [http://www.saravyc.ubc.ca] here at UBC. She completed her BSN(hons) in nursing at the University of Minnesota, her MN and PhD in nursing at the University of Washington in Seattle. She has a history of collaboration with global agencies such as the World Health Organization.

Elizabeth Saewyc inherits the Director’s talking stick from Suzanne Campbell

Dr Saewyc has big plans for the School of Nursing going forward, drawing on the strategic plans of the School and our Faculty of Applied Science (APSC), as well as taking some cues from UBC’s new President, Dr Santa Ono. Dr Saewyc intends to EXPAND OUR ENGAGEMENT through promoting a people-centred culture in the School as well as among the communities we serve, and hopes to increase visibility beyond the School with a variety of initiatives, especially with our approaching 100 years anniversary.

The School’s most tangible theme, health for all, will receive further focus with plans to ENHANCE EQUITY – ensuring equitable access to health care for marginalized populations through well-recognized programs of research and educational content. Under Dr Saewyc’s direction, the School will continue to EMBODY EXCELLENCE, building upon Nursing’s values and our active ventures. These include the transformation of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, which has been strengthened and made more sustainable as key practice areas begin to shift; and the new Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP) programs, which offer some exciting opportunities in the coming years.

Because excellence requires funding, Dr Saewyc will employ creative ways of supporting our initiatives and will push the boundaries of feasibility to encompass new kinds of funding.

President Santa Ono is moving the university FROM EXCELLENCE TO EMINENCE, which suggests that there’s always room for growth in an already-excellent organization. The School of Nursing and our new director are poised to continue polishing our well-known, respected, and important reputation. Ultimately, Dr Saewyc looks forward to the challenges of a new role, supported by her colleagues at the School; making a positive difference in the world together.

See Dr Saewyc’s entire presentation to the School on Vimeo here.