Seattle nursing dean, patient care expert to deliver
URI College of Nursing’s Fall Distinguished Lecture
Dean Kristen Swanson to discuss value of caring theory Nov. 20
KINGSTON, R.I. — Oct. 20, 2025 — Kristen Swanson, dean and professor emerita at the Seattle University College of Nursing, will discuss “Caring—The Difference that Makes a Difference: From Discovery to Randomized Trials and Clinical Translation,” as part of the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing’s Fall Distinguished Lecture series.
The lecture, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 20 at 6 p.m., will be presented in-person at the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, room 308, 350 Eddy St., Providence. A reception in the third-floor River Lounge will precede the lecture at 5 p.m., giving attendees the chance to meet with Swanson and mingle with healthcare colleagues from around the state. The lecture is free and open to the public.
In addition to her role at Seattle University, Swanson has served on the Swedish Health System Board of Trustees, including as board chair. She was previously the dean and alumni distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Academic Affairs at UNC Hospitals, and a nursing professor at the University of Washington. She has been a visiting professor at universities in the United States, England, Thailand, Taiwan, Columbia, and Sweden.
Swanson’s research focuses on caring, responses to miscarriage and interventions to promote healing after early pregnancy loss. Her caring theory has been used to guide practice, education, and research in schools and health care settings around the world. She is frequently invited to consult on strategies to create and sustain a culture of patient centered caring in health care settings.
Swanson is a member of the American Academy of Nursing and an alumnus of the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program, an advanced leadership initiative for nurses in senior executive roles who aspire to lead and shape the future U.S. health care system. In 2020, she was inducted into the Washington State Nursing Association Hall of Fame recognizing her dedication to nursing and significant lifetime achievements. In 2022, the University of Colorado School of Nursing honored Swanson for her lifetime of achievements in nursing and health care.
The URI College of Nursing hosts its Distinguished Lecture Series each semester. Past lectures have been delivered by famed founder of the global health initiative, Partners in Health, Dr. Paul Farmer; former American Nurses Association President Ernest Grant; Director of the National Institute of Nursing Research Shannon Zenk; and Pennsylvania State University nursing Professor Susan Loeb, among others.
