Idaho State University names Michal Goodwin new nursing dean

Goodwin, who was selected after a national search, will oversee the undergraduate, graduate and doctorate nursing programs on ISU campuses in Pocatello, Meridian and Idaho Falls.

Goodwin will focus on ensuring that the School of Nursing continues to meet the workforce needs of Idaho’s hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities. She’ll also work to enhance research opportunities at the doctoral level for faculty and students.

“Dr. Goodwin’s leadership focuses on developing a nursing environment which is as humanistic and compassionate as it is scientifically and technologically sophisticated,” said Linda Hatzenbuehler, associate vice president and executive dean of the Division of Health Sciences, in announcing the appointment.

Over the past 10 years, Goodwin has worked in university and health care settings around the country, most recently for HonorHealth, a five-hospital network in Scottsdale, Arizona where she created a new Center for Nursing Excellence and oversaw nursing education, practice and research. She also was an adjunct professor at Arizona State University.

From 2012 to 2014, Goodwin was chair and associate professor of the Department of Nursing at Holy Names University in Oakland, California.  From 2011 to 2012, she served as founding director of the Center for Evidence-Based Practice, Research and Innovation for St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho.

Goodwin, who holds a Doctor of Philosophy in nursing education from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, worked at ISU from 2004 to 2011. She spent a year as a teaching assistant while she completed her master’s degree in nursing education before being promoted to coordinator of ISU’s accelerated bachelor’s program in nursing.

Goodwin, who remains passionate about educating the next generation of nursing professionals, says she’s thrilled to return to ISU.

“Nursing is my beloved profession,” said Goodwin, who, in addition to teaching, has practiced internationally and holds numerous certifications. “It’s often the little things you do as a nurse that make a difference in a patient’s life. We are there 24/7,” she said.