Rosario Medina, PhD, FNP-BC, ACNP, CNS, FAANP, FAAN began her tenure as the 12th dean of The University of New Mexico College of Nursing on June 3, 2024. She brings more than 43 years of active nursing experience and decades of academic leadership to the role. Just over two months into her role, Medina already has big plans to grow the College and its reach across New Mexico.
As dean, Medina plans on building academic programs to prepare a highly diverse workforce, and evidence-based clinical environments for student experience and research, developing collaborations to create clinical enterprises for the College of Nursing. These clinics will not only serve New Mexico communities, but also create new clinical placements for nursing students and provide a place for nursing research. Medina also intends to grow the College’s nursing research and focusing on how to benefit New Mexico communities by tackling health disparities and chronic illnesses.
I know that I'm coming into a highly energized, passionate College of Nursing that has a history of being innovative. I see my role as one of continuous networking, understanding and bringing resources to build the College’s future and encourage curiosity and passion to propel the profession of nursing forward in all facets.
Currently she is focusing on learning the College, university and state. Medina plans to make visits across New Mexico to visit with partnering educational institutions and clinical sites. All the while learning more about the needs of the communities in those areas.
Prior to joining the UNM College of Nursing, she was the associate dean of clinical and community affairs at the University of Colorado- Anschutz College of Nursing in Aurora, Colorado, where she had the executive oversight of more than 140 faculty and staff in multiple faculty-managed clinical enterprises serving the Denver metro and rural Colorado. They included five midwifery practices, a campus community primary clinic, three integrative federally funded health centers, and two pediatric primary care clinics all focused on caring for underserved populations.
Medina served as an educational leader in a variety of roles at the University of Colorado. They included associate dean for academic affairs for the graduate programs, assistant dean for graduate nursing where she was responsible for 15 master’s programs, assistant dean for graduate student affairs, and as the director of the Doctor of Nursing Program. Medina also promoted pathway programs into nursing and served as a mentor to aspiring nurses.
As a family nurse practitioner for 25 years and researcher Medina has become an expert in understanding underserved populations and knowledgeable in community-based research aimed at changing practice to positively influence health care outcomes in underrepresented populations. Her research focuses on the health beliefs, values and needs of the underserved Hispanic population, specifically in screening and prevention of chronic diseases, medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorders in Colorado’s underserved frontier and rural counties, and the impact of shifting to tele-health during COVID.
Click here to learn more about the UNM College of nursing.