Dean
Texas Christian University
Fort Worth, TX
Currently, Dr. Paulette Burns is Dean of the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, TX. She holds a baccalaureate degree in nursing from the University of Maryland, a Master of Science in nursing with a clinical specialization in maternity nursing and nursing education from the University of Oklahoma, and her PhD in nursing from Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas. Since beginning her nursing career in nursing staff positions in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Dr. Burns’ career has been in nursing education. She has served as faculty in associate, baccalaureate, and graduate programs and held academic administrative appointments at the University of Oklahoma prior to her leadership at TCU. During her administrative career in Oklahoma and Texas, she has focused on creating new educational pathways and opportunities in higher education for nurses and health professionals, as well as new service delivery models for underserved women.
Dr. Burns is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Leadership Alumni Association, The American Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International, and other health service organizations. She is the immediate past president of the Texas Organization of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Education and is a member of the Texas Team Advancing Health through Nursing-a Regional Action Coalition leadership team.