The UCSF School of Nursing will have two significant leadership changes as of July 1, 2017.
Associate Dean Lynda Jacobsen will retire after 32 years of superb service to the University. Since joining UCSF in 1985, Jacobsen has served in a number of progressively responsible positions across the campus. Beginning her career in Medical Records, Jacobsen went on to spend a number of years with the Department of Pathology. In the early 2000s, she worked in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic. She subsequently held positions in Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to joining the School of Nursing, she spent a brief time with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI).
Jacobsen’s administrative expertise has been a fantastic resource to the School. She has advanced our business systems and processes substantially and has represented the School with exceptional competence on campus. In addition to her work with the School of Nursing, Jacobsen has been an actively engaged member of the campus community. She has mentored a number of staff, both formally and informally. She is known as a thoughtful professional and trustworthy colleague whose creativity and institutional knowledge have benefited a number of departments and campus projects. Cecilia Chang has agreed to serve as interim associate dean while a search is conducted for Jacobsen’s replacement. The two will work together over the coming months to develop a transition plan.
The second leadership change is that Carmen Portillo will be stepping down from her position as chair of the Department of Community Health Systems (CHS) to assume the role of executive deputy dean at Yale School of Nursing. This is an exciting opportunity for Portillo and a position for which she is well-prepared. She has been at our School for 27 years, serving as department chair for nearly eight of those years. She has been project director of the HIV/AIDS T32 Training Grant and co-director of the International Center for HIV/AIDS Research and Clinical Training. She has mentored numerous PhD students and postdocs, and has been actively engaged in teaching and curriculum development throughout her tenure in the School.
On campus, Portillo has served as a member of CTSI's Community Engagement and Health Policy Program, the AIDS Research Institute Executive Committee, and the UCSF-Gladstone Center for AIDS Research. She has made extensive inroads in establishing effective partnerships with community and clinical agencies and has conducted significant research to address stigma and depression among ethnic minority persons and older adults with HIV/AIDS. Portillo has represented the School exceptionally well on the NINR Advisory Council and various NIH and Foundation committees. Carol Dawson-Rose has been serving as interim chair of the CHS Department while Portillo is on sabbatical and will to continue in her interim role.
We wish both Lynda and Carmen well in their new endeavors.