Dr. Melissa Craft Transitioning from Acting Dean to Interim Dean of the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing

I am pleased to announce that, pending final approval by the Board of Regents, Dr. Melissa Craft will transition from her role as Acting Dean to Interim Dean of the Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing. A permanent dean will be identified in a national search.

Since joining the College of Nursing in 2011, Dr. Craft has held multiple key positions, including Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Director of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Program, and Interim Associate Dean for Academic Administration and Graduate Education. In June 2021, she was appointed Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Outreach, and Practice Innovation. In this role, she has spearheaded an innovative faculty practice, co-chaired the Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee for OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, and actively contributed to interprofessional education and practice, and professional and community service.

Dr. Craft’s professional passion has focused on enhancing care for oncology patients and optimizing professional opportunities for nurses. She continues to teach and lead a research program focused on using expressive writing and storytelling to help patients process intense or traumatic experiences, such as cancer and post-chemotherapy cognitive challenges. In 2020, she was honored as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow for her extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally.

She is dedicated to sustaining the College of Nursing’s positive momentum, including continued enrollment growth, especially among undergraduate nursing students. We are fortunate to have her leadership.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Craft on her new appointment.

Sincerely,

Gary Raskob, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Provost OU Health Sciences