About the Dean

A Message from Dean Uzarski

At the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are committed to combining excellence in liberal arts education and Catholic Benedictine values as a foundation – with science, evidence-based teaching, and clinical expertise to enable our students to become compassionate future health professionals. 

Saint Anselm College, and Anselm Nursing are consistently highly ranked, with a reputation for graduating students who go on to make significant contributions to health care. Our nursing and health sciences programs prepare students to lead in a variety of settings, including primary care, acute and long-term care, and community and public health. We aim to create an inclusive, supportive and collaborative learning environment. 

It's an exciting time to be a health professions student at Saint Anselm College. We have broken ground on our new 45,000 sq. foot Grappone Hall, scheduled to open August 2025. At the same time, our community is building our future at the new Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Together, we are:

• Building a new interprofessional community with expanded learning opportunities for nursing, health sciences and public health students
• Developing a three-year strategic plan as a roadmap for our new school
• Building collaborations in our region to alleviate our collective challenges and provide additional experiential opportunities for students before and beyond graduation

The future is bright for all health professions. We believe that well educated nurses and pre-professionals are our future, and we are excited for you to join us in our journey to meet our current and evolving healthcare needs and make a difference in the world. 

About the Dean

Diane Uzarski, DNP, was appointed as the inaugural dean and Professor of Practice at the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences on July 24, 2023.

As dean of the new Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr. Uzarski is developing and implementing the vision, mission, and strategic plan of the new School of Nursing and Health Sciences; including the alignment of the school with the liberal arts, new strategic initiatives and bidirectional partnerships. She oversees the undergraduate nursing program, the Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) program, and the Public Health and Health Sciences programs within the school, ensuring the school’s programmatic and operational success, and facilitating the achievement of all nursing and health sciences academic outcomes and competencies.

Dean Uzarski’s healthcare career in a variety of private, public, and academic settings spans more than 35 years. A highly regarded and well published thought leader from Duke University,  Dr. Uzarski has brought her diverse nursing, public health, research administration and academic leadership to the inaugural dean role. During her 19-year tenure at Duke University, she managed strategic alliances with private industry and academic organizations, and led diverse collaborative teams to successfully execute mission-driven initiatives. She served as chief of staff in the Dean’s Office at Duke University School of Nursing, where she led the implementation of the school’s five-year strategic plan, and other innovations in education. She is currently adjunct professor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, and has served on several boards, including the Duke Catholic Center Board of Advisors, chairing the Strategic Plan Committee. 

Dean Uzarski’s scholarly interests include strategic and racial justice planning in academic organizations and leveraging partnerships for to accomplish mutually beneficial goals. 

Dean Uzarski earned her Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration from Iona College; a Masters of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley; a Post Master’s Certificate in Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Duke University.

Related Links

Duke healthcare leader named inaugural Dean →
Saint Anselm College to create School of Nursing and Health Professions →