The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis welcomes three international visiting professors who will teach, contribute content to courses and serve as a resource for students and faculty beginning this fall.
"It is an honor for the School of Nursing to host three accomplished international scholars so early in our development," said Heather M. Young, associate vice chancellor for nursing and founding dean of the school. "These visiting professors will broaden the perspectives of our students, staff and faculty as we work together to advance health and improve care."
Visiting Professor Molly Courtenay
Her research focuses on the development of advanced nursing practice and new models of care delivery, specifically the development of independent prescribing authority by advanced practice nurses. Courtenay previously worked as the national Prescribing and Medicines Management adviser at the Royal College of Nursing. She was also a member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council group responsible for designing the prescribing training program and setting national standards for medicines management and prescribing education and practice throughout the U.K. She is currently the chair of the Nurse Prescribers' Advisory Group, a national organization in the U.K. that monitors non-medical prescribing practice.
Visiting Associate Professor Leehu Zysberg
Courtenay will contribute content to three Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership courses, provide guest lectures, serve as a mentor to graduate students and collaborate with School of Nursing faculty on research projects.
"I am delighted to join the School of Nursing and to have this opportunity to contribute to the school's mission to transform health care through nursing research, education and leadership," Courtenay said.
The School of Nursing also welcomed Leehu Zysberg as a visiting associate professor beginning Sept. 1. Zysberg received his doctorate in psychology from the University of Haifa in Israel. He is currently a senior lecturer with tenure at Tel Hai College in Israel, and he has taught at the University of Haifa, Seattle University and Lake Washington Technical College in Kirkland, Wash.
Zysberg will co-teach this fall's doctoral seminar and provide guidance as a methodology expert to students on study design and data analysis. Zysberg will continue with his research investigating emotional intelligence and its connection to health outcomes.
Visiting Associate Professor Anna Zisberg
Anna Zisberg also joined the School of Nursing team Sept. 1 as a visiting associate professor. She currently teaches in the Department of Nursing at the University of Haifa. Zisberg received her doctorate from the University of Washington School of Nursing.
Zisberg's research focuses on mechanisms that account for older adults' changes in functional status across the lifespan and especially at the time of health challenges, including hospitalization. Her research contributes to improving quality of care for older adults across systems of care. She also conducts research in the area of instrument design and the validation of assessment tools.
Zisberg will contribute to the School of Nursing core courses and she will serve as a guest lecturer and a resource for faculty and students.
The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis was established in March 2009 through a $100 million commitment from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the nation's largest grant for nursing education. The vision of the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing is to transform health care through nursing education and research. Through nursing leadership, the school discovers knowledge to advance health, improve quality of care and health outcomes, and inform health policy. The school's first programs, a doctoral and a master's degree program, opened in fall 2010. Additional students and programs will be phased in over the next decade. The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing is part of UC Davis Health System, an integrated, academic health system encompassing the UC Davis School of Medicine, the 619-bed-acute-care hospital and clinical services of UC Davis Medical Center and the 1000-member physician group known as the UC Davis Medical Group. For more information, visit nursing.ucdavis.edu.