Christine M. Kennedy, PhD, RN, FAAN, Named Interim Provost and Vice President of RUSH University

Christine M. Kennedy, PhD, RN, FAAN, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Dean of RUSH University College of Nursing, has been named RUSH University’s interim provost and vice president. Kennedy will continue her role as dean.

Dr. Larry Goodman, interim president of RUSH University, announced the appointment today.

"In this role, Kennedy will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the University vice provost offices, advancing its health equity and teaching mission while promoting integration with RUSH University System for Health," Goodman said.

"Christine's experience and expertise makes her the perfect fit to take on the role of interim provost at RUSH University," he continued. "There is no doubt that she will continue to grow and build the College of Nursing while helping take RUSH University as a whole to the next level."

Prior to joining RUSH University in 2020, Kennedy served as the chief academic officer for the University of Virginia School of Nursing and was the Madeline Higginbotham Sly Professor of Nursing and a professor of pediatrics in the UVA School of Medicine. She is also a professor emerita at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, where she held the Jack and Elaine Koehn Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing.

Kennedy earned her undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin and Catholic University and received a master's degree as a pediatric nurse practitioner from Boston College. She received her PhD in developmental child psychology from Brown University. A fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Kennedy is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame.

“I am honored to step into this new role,” Kennedy said. “RUSH University is one of the premier health care universities in the country and prepares nurses, physicians, researchers and expert health care professionals to face emerging challenges with compassionate, evidence-based care.”

Since coming to RUSH, Kennedy has made the advancement of health equity one of her key priorities. She appointed Wrenetha Julion, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, CNL,  as the inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion and expanded the footprint of the Office of Faculty Practice, which provides care to historically underserved communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides.  

She has launched the College of Nursing’s five-year plan, which focuses on health equity, practice-based scholarship and creating a world-class culture. Kennedy will succeed Dr. Susan L. Freeman, who served as provost for three years before retiring in August of this year. Under Freeman’s leadership, enrollment and degrees awarded were at the highest in the University history. Kennedy will look to continue that success and collaborate with Dr. Goodman on initiatives and partnerships that propel the University forward.
 

About RUSH University

The academic enterprise of RUSH University Medical Center, RUSH University is a health sciences university with more than 2,500 students that comprises RUSH Medical College, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Sciences and the Graduate College.