Assistant professor had served as interim director since 2016.
Ameera Chakravarthy, PhD '22, RN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, has been appointed director of the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) Doctor of Nursing Practice Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGACNP/CNS) specialty. Chakravarthy had served as interim director of the specialty since 2016.
Chakravarthy joined UMSON in 2010 as a clinical instructor. She successfully defended her dissertation, Measurement of Protein Intake and Physical Activity of Hospitalized Older Adults, in November and was promoted to assistant professor in January.
In her role as interim specialty director, Chakravarthy spearheaded the integration of gerontological content into the curriculum, developed additional clinical site placements for students, and coordinated an annual AGACNP/CNS retreat with faculty team members to focus on program evaluation and curricular revision. Graduates from the program have achieved a 100 percent pass rate on national certification examinations over the past several years.
In addition to her program leadership and teaching responsibilities, Chakravarthy is dedicated to clinical practice, leadership, and service to support the nursing profession. She practices as an acute care nurse practitioner at the University of Maryland Medical Center, where she frequently precepts and mentors students. She has served as an UMSON representative to the University of Maryland, Baltimore Faculty Council and is an active member of many nursing organizations, including serving as past president of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland.
"Dr. Chakravarthy brings her combined experience as an expert clinician, an experienced educator, a clinically relevant nurse scientist, and a collaborative leader to her role as specialty director of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner/Clinical Nurse Specialist specialty," said Elizabeth Galik, PhD '07, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, professor and chair of the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health. "I look forward to supporting her and the AGACNP/CNS team in preparing the next generation of acute care advanced practice nurses to improve care quality for patients and provide leadership in the acute care setting."