Prof. Dowling Elected Virginia League for Nursing President

And then there were five.

Assistant professor Tomeka Dowling - who arrived as a faculty member in 2016 - has been elected Virginia League for Nursing president, joining four other national nursing organization presidents who make UVA School of Nursing their academic home.

In her leadership role, Dowling joins American Nurses Association (ANA) president Pam Cipriano, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses' (AACN) immediate past-president Clareen Wiencek, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) president Emily Drake, and American Association for the History of Nursing (AAHN) president Mary Gibson.

Dowling - who teaches community health and health assessment to both undergraduate and graduate students - was a consultant with the Virginia Board of Nursing from 2010 to 2013 and is currently a member of the Virginia Board of Education’s Advisory Committee for Career and Technical Education (through 2018).

In May 2018, Dowling will assume the presidency of the VLN, the state constituent of the 124-year-old National League for Nursing, the nation’s first professional nursing organization. Her presidency, she says, will “provide a platform to collaborate with higher education leaders and promote excellence in nursing education while meeting the state’s need for a competent and diverse nursing workforce.”

“What an honor for our school to have a seat at so many tables,” beams Dean Dorrie K. Fontaine, “and so many clear, resonant voices in an arena where ideas, decisions and policies about best practices in nursing happen.”

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