UR Nursing Leadership Team
The University of Rochester School of Nursing is guided and directed by a team of accomplished and inspiring leaders who embody our historic mission of unifying nursing education, practice, and research.
Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN
Dean
An accomplished scholar, researcher, educator, and clinician, Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, was appointed the sixth dean of the University of Rochester School of Nursing, professor of nursing and geriatric medicine, Independence Foundation Chair in Nursing Education, and vice president of the University of Rochester Medical Center in September 2022. She previously served as the associate dean for graduate education and director of the PhD program at the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State University. She has extensive clinical research experience with the palliative care needs of persons living with complex chronic conditions and their family caregivers, especially in the context of advanced heart failure.
Contact the Dean's Office
(585) 275-8902
Daina Druzynski, Executive Assistant to Dean Lisa A. Kitko
Sally Norton, PhD, RN, FNAP, FPCN, FAAN
Associate Dean for Research
Sally Norton, PhD, RN, FNAP, FPCN, FAAN, a longtime faculty member at the School and a nationally-recognized expert in palliative care research, was named associate dean for research in 2019. In a career dedicated to improving the care of patients with advanced illness, Norton’s research has focused on palliative care and end-of-life decision-making with emphases on the communication processes and practice patterns of care delivery in acute and long-term care settings. She has also worked successfully across professions to improve communication and understanding surrounding systems of palliative care and hospice delivery, and to pinpoint the approaches most meaningful to patients and families that lead to the highest quality outcomes.
(585) 275-9814
Sally_Norton@urmc.rochester.edu
Renu Singh, MS
CEO, UR Medicine Employee Wellness
With 25 years of leadership experience in health care program design and implementation, finance, and operations, Renu Singh, MS, has a passion for wellness which has led to the development of the school's evidence-based wellness program, where she also currently serves as CEO.
(585) 275-2830
Renu_Singh@urmc.rochester.edu
Lydia Rotondo, DNP, RN, CNS, FNAP
Associate Dean for Education and Student Affairs
The education mission is led by Lydia Rotondo, DNP, RN, CNS, FNAP, who was named associate dean in 2015 and served as director of the school’s DNP program since 2014. Rotondo is a national contributor to advancing DNP education and a member of AACN’s Essentials Implementation Faculty Toolkit workgroup. She has published and presented on DNP scholarship, competency-based education, and integration of technology in nursing education. She was selected as a 2018 AACN Leadership for Academic Nursing Fellow and 2020 Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. Rotondo’s vision as the associate dean for education and student affairs has been the development of a learning organization that fosters collaboration and creativity to design novel educational approaches in active learning environments to prepare graduates for the complexity of 21st century health care. Under her leadership, there has been strategic investment in building academic-practice partnerships, expanding education technology, and developing academic innovation infrastructure to optimize teaching and learning in an inclusive, supportive environment.
(585) 276-5424
Lydia_Rotondo@urmc.rochester.edu
John Eaves, MBA
Associate Dean for Operations & Finance
John Eaves, MBA, was named the School of Nursing's chief financial officer in September 2022 and interim associate dean for operations finance in 2023. Eaves previously served as the director of finance where he was responsible for all financial reporting and budgeting for the education, research, practice, and administrative missions at the School. As CFO, Eaves serves as an advisor to the dean and provides overall financial and strategic direction for the budgetary and fiscal affairs of the School of Nursing. Eaves has 10 years’ experience in financial planning. He earned his master’s in business administration from the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester and his bachelor’s in corporate finance and political science from St. John Fisher College.
(585) 275-8842
John_Eaves@urmc.rochester.edu
Karen Keady, PhD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Assistant Dean of Clinical Practice
Chief Nursing Executive, URMC
Karen Keady, PhD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC is Strong Memorial Hospital’s senior nurse and oversees a department of 3,500 nurses, patient care technicians, and unit secretaries.
(585) 273-3899
karen_keady@urmc.rochester.edu
