Named Professorships

Thanks to generous supporters and extraordinary faculty, UMSN has a number of endowed and collegiate professorships.

Endowed professorships

Rhetaugh Dumas Endowed Professorship

Rhetaugh Dumas served as Dean of the School of Nursing from 1981 to 1996, serving three terms. She was the second African-American to be named Dean at the University of Michigan. Prior to serving as Dean, she was the first woman and the first nurse to serve as a deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health. She was a founding member, a Charter Fellow, and a former president of the American Academy of Nursing. Dumas served the University of Michigan School for over 20 years with vision and a commitment to excellence.   

Honoring her contributions to the advancement of nursing and nursing education, this endowed professorship was established to support a scholar whose teaching and research focus on areas that support the advancement of nursing services and help shape the University of Michigan health centers of the future. 

Marita G. Titler, Ph.D., RN, FAAN is the Rhetaugh Dumas Endowed Professor of Nursing.

Mary Lou Willard French Endowed Professorship

Mary Lou Willard French was a 1952 graduate of the School of Nursing.  The Mary Lou Willard French Professorship provides an opportunity to further the science of oncology nursing care. It was established by a gift from her husband, James L. French, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and their children. Mrs. French was committed, throughout her life, to programs and efforts promoting the well-being of the whole person. A woman of uncommon empathy and compassion, she understood the relationship between the physical, spiritual, mental and emotional dimensions of individual health.

Debra Barton, RN, Ph.D., AOCN, FAAN is the Mary Lou Willard French Professor of Oncology Nursing. 

Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Endowed Professorship

The Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Endowed Professorship was established by Dr. LaRue T. Hosmer of Ann Arbor. Son of Elizabeth Tone Hosmer, he served as professor of corporate strategy at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He passed away in February 2014 at the age of 86. 

The Hosmer Professorship shall be used to promote, through teaching and research, a strong leadership position in the planning and policy processes of health care systems. It will focus on assisting and encouraging nurses to put themselves forward as equal participants in the planning and policy processes and to serve as forceful advocates for the rights and interests of patients in all aspects of health care delivery.

Christopher R. Friese, Ph.D., RN, AOCN®, FAAN is the Elizabeth Tone Hosmer Endowed Professor of Nursing.

Suzanne Bellinger Feetham Professorship

Suzanne Feetham, Ph.D, RN, FAAN is a graduate of the UMSN class of 1962. She is a internationally recognized nurse leader. She has held clinical, research, and leadership positions in academia, health systems, and the federal government. Her career has focused on bringing health care to families and underserved populations as well as health policy. In 2011 she was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.

The Suzanne Bellinger Feetham Professorship is established to support promising new scholars with exciting potential for scholarship, research and leadership, and ability to conduct a sponsored program of research.

Michelle L. Munro-Kramer, Ph.D., CNM, FNP-BC is the Suzanne Bellinger Feetham Professor of Nursing.

Carol J. and F. Edward Lake Term Clinical Professorship 

Carol J. Lake is a BSN graduate of the class of 1957. She is a retired community health nurse. Ed Lake is a retired executive of the Greyhound Corporation. They live in the Phoenix area and are longtime supporters of UMSN. 

This term Clinical Professorship is dedicated advancing the science and practice of population health. It includes a special focus on community care models related to national health care reform. 

Barbara L. Brush, Ph.D., ANP-BC, FAAN is the Carol J. and F. Edward Lake Term Clinical Professor.

If you want to find out more about endowing a professorship or similar gifts, please contact Colleen Zimmerman, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at [email protected].

Collegiate Professorships

Barbara A. Therrien Collegiate Professorship

Barbara A. Therrien received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1982 and taught at the School of Nursing from 1983 to 2009. Her research focused on neuroscience and neurobehavior nursing and training. She co-founded and served as the first president of the American Association of Neurosurgical Nurses. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 1991. 

Janean E. Holden, Ph.D., RN, FAAN is the Barbara A. Therrien Collegiate Professor. 

Deborah J. Oakley Collegiate Professorship

Deborah J. Oakley served as professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing from 1979 to 2002. She holds an MPH and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Oakley introduced research-relevant information technology into course activities; developed and taught doctoral seminars on nursing and health policy, globalization, culture, and women's health; and was a major contributor to improving the quality of undergraduate research at the University.

Carol J. Boyd, Ph.D., RN, FAAN is the Deborah J. Oakley Collegiate Professor.

Shaké Ketefian Collegiate Professorship

Shaké Ketefian, EdD., RN, FAAN completed her education at the American University of Beirut and Columbia University. She is professor emerita at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Her research has focused on research utilization, ethical issues in health care, and global issues in health and knowledge development. 

Janet L. Larson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN is the Shaké Ketefian Collegiate Professor of Nursing.

Carolyne K. Davis Collegiate Professorship

Carolyne Davis served briefly as dean of the University of Michigan from 1973-1975, when she became Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs for the University of Michigan. She served as administrator for the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Care Financing Administrating under President Ronald Reagan, from 1982-1985. Before her passing in 2003 at the age of 71, she served on numerous health care and pharmaceutical boards and as a health care advisor for Ernst and Young. 

Carolyn Sampselle Ph.D., ANP, FAAN  is the emerita Carolyne K. Davis Collegiate Professor of Nursing.

Ada Sue Hinshaw Collegiate Professorship

Ada Sue Hinshaw served as Dean of the School of Nursing, as well as Dean of the Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She was also the first permanent director of the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health. 

Richard Redman, Ph.D. is the emeritus Ada Sue Hinshaw Collegiate Professor of Nursing.