Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Danuta is the Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Maternal/Child and Family Nursing, Seattle University College of Nursing. Prior to her promotion to Associate Professor and appointment as the Department Chair, she was an Assistant Professor on tenure track at Seattle University. She earned her PhD in Nursing Science degree from University of Washington School of Nursing and her master's degree in maternal-child nursing and undergraduate degree in nursing from Dalhousie University in Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada. Prior to that, she earned Master in Education and Master of Arts in Russian Philology degrees from Yagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Her first leadership experiences date back to the 1980s. As a college student in Poland she became an advocate for democracy and fair treatment of workers by active participation in the Solidarity Workers' Union. From 1992-2002 she held several leadership positions in the tertiary level hospital Issac Walton Killiam Health Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. She was a Charge Nurse (1993-1996), Nursing Support Coordinator (1996-1998), and Professional Development Consultant (1998-2002). In these roles she led quality assurance and professional practice initiatives as well as inter-professional quality improvement projects. Most notably, she led the merger of three well-baby nurseries and three postpartum units into one; developed an award winning Multicultural Health Program; and made collaborative efforts to lead the entire Province of Nova Scotia to be the world's first “Baby Friendly" region. She spearheaded the implementation of K. Swanson's Caring Theory as a theoretical framework for professional practice across the health center, a project that resulted in improved patient satisfaction and 20 percent decrease in nursing staff absenteeism. Currently, in addition to administrative responsibilities as the Department Chair, her leadership includes service leadership on the Student Progression Committee, Undergraduate and Graduate Curriculum Evaluation Committees, Doctor of Nursing Practice program development and implementation, Workplace Satisfaction Initiative for the University, service on the Board of Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing Chapter, abstract review for Western Institute of Nursing, manuscript review for Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Human Reproduction, and Qualitative Health Research, consultancy for PATH, as well as, Best Practice and Baby Friendly Initiatives at University of Washington Valley Medical Center. She has an active program of research to promote health and healthcare for underserved and vulnerable populations.