Cindy Munro, an accomplished healthcare researcher and a leader in the field of nursing, has been named the new dean of the University of Miami’s School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS).
Munro currently is associate dean of research and innovation at the University of South Florida College of Nursing. Prior to joining USF in 2011, she was the Nursing Alumni Endowed Professor in the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“Nurses are frontline partners in offering the highest quality of patient-centered integrated healthcare,” said UM president Julio Frenk.
“Dr. Munro’s extensive experience and commitment to innovation and invention aligns with the mission of SONHS to share health knowledge and provide service focused on patient safety to our community and communities across the globe.”
Munro’s appointment was announced by Frenk and Jeffrey Duerk, UM’s new executive vice president and provost.
“I am immensely impressed with Dr. Munro’s qualifications and her research in healthcare,” Duerk said. “I look forward to working with her as she builds upon the school’s global reputation for providing a first-class nursing education.”
Munro, who received the 2017 Leadership in Research Award by the Southern Nursing Research Society, focuses her research on the relationship between oral health and the prevention of systemic disease. Her work has been supported by more than $8 million in funding, and she recently received a grant of nearly $2 million from the National Institute of Nursing Research to conduct studies on the prevention of delirium in critically ill adults. She holds three patents, including an international patent for a vaccine to prevent streptococcal endocarditis.
Munro’s work has helped change clinical practice and reduce healthcare costs by addressing hospital-acquired infections.
“I have always admired the focused research and expertise of the faculty at the School of Nursing and Health Studies,” Munro said. “I look forward to joining the team and building on the School’s success and educating the next generation of leaders in nursing care and in health studies.”
Munro received her PhD in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Post Master’s Adult Nurse Practitioner degree, also from VCU. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in Medical Surgical Nursing from the University of Delaware. She is a licensed registered nurse in Florida and Virginia and is a board-certified adult nurse practitioner.
Co-editor in chief of the American Journal of Critical Care, Munro has published numerous articles and has been recognized for her writing with the Apex Award for Publication Excellence in Editorial and Advocacy Writing in 2016 and the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors 2016 Best Commentary Silver Award.
Munro is a member of the USF Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
