NP grad Pam Allen Jeffries named dean of Vanderbilt School of Nursing

Pam Allen Jeffries

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A 1973 North Putnam High school graduate was recently named the dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.

Pam Allen Jeffries, whom the university calls “ an internationally recognized leader and innovator in nursing and health care education” will assume her new post July 1, pending board of trust approval.

A Roachdale native, Jeffries is the daughter of Pat Allen and the late Bob Allen.

Jeffries, professor and dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing in Washington, D.C., succeeds Linda Norman, who plans to step down from her leadership role on June 30.

“I am honored for this opportunity at a world-renowned university and the Vanderbilt School of Nursing — with its rich history of excellence in nursing education, practice and research,” Jeffries said. “I’m excited to build on the strong foundation provided by Linda Norman and help set the school’s ‘next chapter’ with broad engagement of community partners who champion its mission and vision.”

Jeffries was appointed the second dean of the George Washington University School of Nursing in 2015, five years after its establishment as a standalone school within the university.

Prior to being named dean of George Washington University School of Nursing, Jeffries served as the inaugural vice provost for digital initiatives at Johns Hopkins University. She also held faculty leadership roles at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Indiana University School of Nursing earlier in her career.

With support from the National League of Nursing, Jeffries developed the major contribution to simulation scholarship — the framework and monograph now known as the NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory. A strong collaborator, she is the editor of three books: “Simulations in Nursing Education: From Conceptualization to Evaluation” (2nd edition), “Developing Simulation Centers Using the Consortium Model” and “Clinical Simulations in Nursing Education: Advanced Concepts, Trends, and Opportunities.”

Jeffries is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the NLN’s Academy of Nursing Education, the Society of Simulation in Healthcare and an alumna of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows program. Other honors include the Sigma Theta Tau International Edith Moore Copeland Award for Excellence in Creativity, the NLN’s Mary Adelaide Nutting Award for Outstanding Leadership in Nursing Education, the Virginia Nurses Association Foundation Leadership Excellence Award for Nursing School Dean and induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Researchers Hall of Fame.

After receiving a bachelor of science in nursing from Ball State University, Jeffries earned a master of science in nursing and a doctorate of nursing from Indiana University.