Anita Smith named dean of School of Nursing

MERIDIAN – Anita Smith, Ph.D., is the new dean of Idaho State University’s School of Nursing. Smith, who will start in August, will oversee programs at the Meridian and Pocatello campuses.

Smith is currently with the Bureau of Navy Medicine at the Defense Health Headquarters in Falls Church, Virginia, serving with the rank of captain. She has previously held academic appointments at the University of South Alabama and Point Loma Nazarene University.

“We are very excited about the incredible experiences and leadership that Dr. Smith brings to ISU,” said Rex Force, ISU vice president for health sciences.

Smith received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Washington and her doctorate from the University of San Diego. She has also held leadership positions with the Veterans Administration. Her diverse nursing background includes several deployments to active military action including Iraq and Afghanistan as well as maternal/child, trauma, school, and post-operative nursing.

"I am thrilled to join the ISU School of Nursing. It will be an honor to serve with the faculty and staff who support learning and discovery, access to opportunities in nursing, and most importantly, prepare future nurse leaders who will bring compassionate and innovative care to rural settings," Smith said.

“Dr. Smith brings a wealth of nursing experience to the dean position at ISU.  She has a keen desire to live and work in the western part of the U.S., and ISU is fortunate to have someone with her experience and commitment to nursing and nursing education,” said Nancy Renn, interim dean of the School of Nursing.

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