# Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing

The Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) is an American nursing education institution.
The school has graduated more than 14,000 nurses since its establishment in 1972. Its name was changed to the Jane and Robert Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston in 2017 in recognition of a gift of $25 million that endowed scholarships, faculty chairs, and research in addition to a distinguished lecture series.
Located in the Texas Medical Center, Cizik School of Nursing's building, which also serves as a student community center for the UTHealth Houston campus, opened in October 2004 and was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009.

## Education

Cizik School of Nursing offers programs for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing degrees as well as a number of post-graduate certificates and pre-nursing science courses.
Students pursuing an MSN degree may choose the nursing leadership or family nurse practitioner (FNP) track. The BSN to DNP nurse practitioner program admits students to adult/gerontology acute care nurse practitioner and a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner tracks as well as an FNP track. These tracks are also offered as a post-graduate certificate program for MSN- or DNP-prepared nurses who desire additional education and/or role preparation.
The post-master's DNP program offers nurse executive and nursing informatics tracks. Nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, who have MSNs may also complete the coursework necessary to earn a DNP degree. It is the first and only public university in Texas to offer a nine-semester program for the BSN-DNP in nurse anesthesia. The school also offers the state's only Emergency Nurse Practitioner specialty track as a post-graduate completion program.
The PhD program offers entry options for nurses with BSN, master's, or DNP degree.

## Practice

The school also operates the nurse-led UT Health Services clinic, which specializes in occupational health, travel medicine, and primary care. It provides occupational health care for UTHealth employees and a variety of other companies and organizations throughout the Houston area.
Clinical learning experiences for students are available within other UTHealth Houston schools and in the broader community. Cizik School of Nursing's sister institutions on the Houston campus are McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry, D. Bradley McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the School of Behavioral Health Sciences.
Affiliate organizations and institutions include UT Physicians, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Harris County Psychiatric Center, Memorial Hermann, and several other large hospitals and health care systems with locations in the Texas Medical Center and throughout the Houston area. Students also have opportunities for learning experiences in neighborhood health centers, nursing homes, day care centers, city and county health departments, mental health facilities, homeless shelters, and medical offices and clinics.

## Research

Faculty and students within Cizik School of Nursing's Department of Research pursue scientific inquiry on a wide range of subjects, including vulnerable and underserved populations, nonpharmaceutical pain management, aging-in-place technology, and tracking and management of disease symptoms. For calendar year 2023, Cizik School of Nursing was ranked 18th nationally among nursing schools with research funded by the National Institutes of Health.

## Leadership

Diane M. Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, RN, was appointed as the fifth dean in the Cizik School of Nursing's history, effective September 1, 2020.

## Sources

* Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston website
* web page on colleges in Houston