Dr. Kathleen Czekanski has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Nursing Programs in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. In that role, she will serve as the Chief Nurse Administrator for Nursing Programs. Dr. Czekanski completed her Ph.D. at Duquesne University and is a Certified Nurse Educator. She also earned a Certificate in Distance Education. Prior to coming to La Salle in 2008, Dr. Czekanski was an Assistant Professor at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Czekanski teaches in the areas of nursing research, professional practice, ethics, and public health nursing. She has been the Project Director on three scholarship grants and is published in journals such as the Journal of Professional Nursing, Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders, and the Journal of Nursing Education. Finally, Dr. Czekanski has served on numerous committees in the Nursing Program, School, and University.

Dr. Diane Breckenridge, Nursing, received a 2012 Distinguished Nurse Award from the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. According to Dean Brian Goldstein, “Dr. Breckenridge was recognized as an individual who has contributed to and is involved with equal opportunity and human rights concerns domestically or internationally for nurses and/or healthcare recipients.”

Dr. Diane Wieland, Nursing, received a 2012 Distinguished Nurse Award from the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. According to Dean Brian Goldstein, “Dr. Wieland was recognized as an individual who has demonstrated leadership characteristics and rendered distinguished service to the nursing profession, and whose contributions and accomplishments are of significance throughout the Commonwealth.”

La Salle University has named Brian A. Goldstein, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences effective August 1. A speech-language-pathology expert in the area of communication development and speech sound disorders in Latino children, Goldstein comes to La Salle from Temple University, where he served in various capacities for more than 15 years. He succeeds Zane Robinson Wolf, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, who is stepping down as Dean to return to the faculty.

Goldstein most recently served as a professor in Temple’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs in Temple’s College of Health Professions and Social Work. Previously, he served as Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Under his leadership, the master’s program in Speech-Language Pathology was ranked 29th out of 229 programs by U.S. News and World Report.

“We are pleased to have Brian join La Salle University. I believe he has the talent, experience, and character to make a positive impact not only on the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, but also on the University in general,” La Salle President Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C., Ph.D. said. “He brings to us the values that we cherish: excellence in teaching, scholarship and research, a multicultural perspective, as well as a commitment to people in need.”

As Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Goldstein will oversee the school’s Health Sciences, Nursing, Nutrition, Public Health, and Speech-Language-Hearing Science programs.

“I am excited and honored to join La Salle University and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences,” Goldstein said. “Our urban context provides us a unique environment in which to educate and mentor students, conduct cutting-edge research and scholarship, and provide services to the community, which can position us at the forefront of health and healthcare delivery, education, and practice.”

In addition to his scholarly and research interests in communication development, speech sound disorders, and assessment, Goldstein has earned recognition for his teaching skills, both a Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award and a Temple University Great Teacher Award. His scholarly work has appeared in journals such as American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, and Communication Disorders Quarterly. He is the author of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Resource Guide for Speech-Language Pathologist, and the editor of Bilingual Language Development and Disorders in Spanish-English Speakers.

A Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Science Association and a recipient of the Certificate for Special Contributions in Multicultural Affairs, Goldstein earned his bachelor’s degree in linguistics and cognitive sciences from Brandeis University, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in speech-language pathology from Temple University. He also completed Harvard University’s Management Development Program.

Dr. Patricia Dillon has been appointed as the Program Director for Graduate Nursing, RN-BSN Program, and the RN-MSN Program. Dr. Dillon completed a Ph.D. and a Doctorate of Nursing Science at Widener University and is a Certified Nurse Specialist. She is currently an Associate Professor. Prior to coming to La Salle in 2010, Dr. Dillon was a Clinical Associate Professor at Temple University. Dr. Dillon teaches in the areas of physical assessment, stroke assessment, and respiratory care. She recently published Clinical Simulation for Nursing Education, Student Volume (F. A. Davis). Dr. Dillon has made numerous national and international presentations on interdisciplinary education. Finally, Dr. Dillon is a Lindback Award recipient.

Dr. Diane Breckenridge, Associate Professor of Nursing, was awarded a 3-year, $962,000 Nursing Workforce Diversity grant entitled “Students at Risk, Strategies for Success” from the Health Resources and Services Administration. The purpose of the grant is to prepare at-risk diverse, underrepresented, disadvantaged  students for the academic challenges of a baccalaureate nursing program and to retain them in the nursing major.

Project Director Dr. Barbara Hoerst and Assistant Dean Mary Dorr were awarded a four-year, $2.4 million HRSA grant to provide $15,000 scholarships to 40 disadvantaged undergraduate nursing majors each year.

Jillian Baker, DrPH, EdM, assistant professor of public health was the lead author on a paper entitled, “Perspectives on Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Vaccination among African American Female Adolescents” published in the American Journal of Health Studies.