Dean and Professor
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM
Nancy Ridenour, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN, is Dean and Professor at the University of New Mexico College of Nursing. As a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy fellow she worked for the Committee on Ways and Means of the US House of Representatives, focusing on Medicare. Prior positions include Professor and Dean Illinois State University College of Nursing, Associate Dean for Education, Associate Dean for Practice Programs and Practice Development, and Associate Dean for the Graduate Program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. In addition, she was Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado.Dr. Ridenour has held numerous leadership positions in the American Nurses Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Public Health Association, Sigma Theta Tau, International, Society of Primary Care Policy Fellows, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is a certified family nurse practitioner, maintaining an active clinical practice. She received two Fulbright-Hays Grants for study in China, and Egypt and Jordan. She has consulted extensively on primary care and public health issues in South America, Asia, India and the Middle East. Dr. Ridenour is the author of numerous journal articles and contributions to books, focusing her career on health policy and improving primary health care for underserved populations. Awards include a U.S. Public Health Service Primary Care Policy Fellowship and induction in the American Academy of Nursing. Her current work focuses on health policy, primary care workforce, and philanthropy.