UCLA School of Nursing Welcomes New Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Newswise — Dr. Robert Lucero joins the UCLA School of Nursing as Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Professor of Nursing; and the Inaugural Adrienne H. Moseley Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion beginning May 4^th 2021. Previously, he was a University Term Professor; Associate Professor of Nursing; and Graduate Faculty in the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida College of Nursing

Dr. Lucero received his PhD in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and completed an NIH post-doctoral fellowship in Health Informatics at the Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. Lucero has been funded consistently by the NIH and AHRQ for the last 18 years. His research focuses on enhancing the quality of care for hospitalized older adults and improving self-management of chronic health conditions among Hispanic, African-American, and LGBTQ+ populations. Dr. Lucero has nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications and has been awarded approximately  $15 million in extramural funding from NIH and AHRQ as principal investigator.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Lucero is bringing his talents to the UCLA School of Nursing. His deep work in equity issues will make such a profound impact on the future of our school and the way we educate,” said Linda Sarna, dean of the UCLA School of Nursing.

Dr. Lucero is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, The New York Academy of Medicine, and the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education for the Ford Foundation. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, and has been directly involved in mentoring and training the next generation of underrepresented professional nurses and nurse scientists as co-director of NIH and other externally funded training programs.

“I am thrilled to be joining the UCLA School of Nursing. I am especially honored to have the privilege of leading the DEI vision in the School of Nursing, and building upon the great success of my predecessor, Dr. Deborah Koniak-Griffin. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion landscape is evolving rapidly, and this includes professional, advanced practice, and academic nursing. It is critical that we identify individual and organizational strategies as well as sustainable solutions that promote a diverse, equitable and respectful environment for faculty, staff, and students to transform the discipline of nursing.”