Meet the Dean
Guided by a core belief in the power of nursing, Sean Clarke is ready to lead the school into its next chapter.
When Sean Clarke volunteered in hospitals as a teenager, it wasn’t the technology or fast pace that left the strongest impression — it was the nurses.
“I loved their pragmatism and how they were ready to do what needed to be done at any given moment,” he says. “They were such cool human beings; they expressed compassion, found humor, and had a sense of balance about what’s really important in life.”
That early admiration evolved into a career devoted to nursing and the people who practice it. As a clinician, researcher, educator, and academic leader, Clarke has spent more than three decades working to strengthen the nursing profession and improve the health of patients.
“Over time, I came to understand that nurses have this privileged space where they come into patients’ and families’ lives,” he says. “It is important to understand this work and what we can do to make nursing workplaces better, which can only improve patient care.”
Clarke brings this perspective as the seventh dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. He comes to Emory from the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, where he served as the Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership following his tenure as executive vice dean. He also held senior academic and research appointments at Boston College, McGill University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Pennsylvania, and he serves as editor-in-chief of Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing.
Clarke, who began his tenure on Aug. 1, sat down to talk about his path to Emory, his passion for improving the lives of nurses and their patients, his dreams for the School of Nursing, and the people and activities that make his life outside work meaningful.
Q&A with Dean Clarke
I was raised in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, and did undergraduate degrees in psychology and biochemistry there. I got a master’s degree in nursing at McGill University in Montreal. After graduation, I worked as a coronary care unit nurse and pursued a PhD in nursing. I went to the University of Pennsylvania and studied as an acute care nurse practitioner and then completed a postdoc in nursing outcomes research, which was a turning point in my scholarship.
At its core, it’s about the reality that not every setting in which nurses practice is equally well-positioned to achieve the best patient outcomes, so we need to be intentional about having enough nurses, making sure they’re well prepared, and creating work environments where they are supported even in the midst of operational, societal and political shifts. Ultimately, the goal is to put this information in the hands of policymakers, managers and administrators so they can make the best choices possible for nurses and their patients.
This school is legendary — first in class. It has always been known for educating outstanding clinicians, and it’s also recognized for excellence in research, policy, and community partnerships. Not many places in the country attempt to do all of this, let alone succeed at it. I remember entering the profession and reading papers and books by Emory professors, so I always knew how important the school was.
Over the last 10 years, I have made a shift to serving in administrative roles. I ran the undergraduate program at Boston College and then spent six years as executive vice dean at NYU, where my major responsibility was faculty hiring and development. I also come from institutions similar to Emory in scale and position within academic health systems.
I believe the job of a leader is to capitalize on the gifts people bring to their work, help them find the right opportunities, and draw on the wisdom present in the community to move things forward. In my view, a lot of it comes down to showing respect and taking every opportunity to ensure people walk away from conversations — even challenging ones — feeling that they were treated fairly.
The ones who saw me and what I might be able to contribute by showing that they cared about me and my connection to the larger mission. I have tried to emulate them and pay that attention and kindness forward. I was also influenced by leaders who found themselves in crises and saw ways to pull people together — for example, my dean at NYU during COVID-19. She understood how unprecedented the circumstances were and that everyone had something going on in their lives, but at the same time, she delivered a clear message that we needed to keep going because patients’ health depended on it.
The Path to Emory
EXPERIENCE
New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing
- Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership
- Executive Vice Dean and Professor
Boston College Connell School of Nursing
- Associate Dean, Undergraduate Program, and Professor
McGill University Ingram School of Nursing
- Susan French Chair and Professor
- Director, McGill Nursing Collaborative
University of Toronto Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing
- RBC Chair in Cardiovascular Nursing Research and Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
- Associate Director, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, and Assistant/Associate Professor
EDUCATION
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Nursing Outcomes Research – University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
- PhD in Nursing – McGill University Ingram School of Nursing
- Master of Science in Nursing – McGill University Ingram School of Nursing
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – Carleton University
- Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry – University of Ottawa
HONORS
- Fellow, American Academy of Nursing
- Civitas Award Recipient, American Academy of Nursing
- Editor-in-Chief, Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing
- Member, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing
More Q&A with Dean Clarke
It means that you don’t rest on your laurels. It means seizing opportunities to bring new people into the community, refining the educational programs you offer, identifying new places where research and education can serve the public, and continually building on our strengths. With such a great community, the ideas we need to move forward are right here.
Emory is, without question, one of the few nursing schools in the nation ideally positioned to sustain its preeminence in research, so we’re going to make sure that we have the resources and structures in place to do that.
We’re also going to look for the next steps to keep our academic programs among the best in the nation. The school does incredible work preparing nurses for RN practice as well as advanced practice roles, and we want to keep that momentum going. I understand clinical education and research go hand in hand. Both can be excellent in the same place, and that is certainly the case at Emory.
Another priority will be supporting the work to build on our strong partnership with Emory Healthcare and draw the ties between the school and health system even closer — crossing the street between practice and academics, in some cases literally — to get even better outcomes on all sides for our students, faculty, health system staff, and ultimately the patients our health care network serves.
A whole host of things. I’m a city guy, and I love big cities and getting a sense of what makes them tick. Atlanta is an amazing city whose history is still being written — it bubbles with diversity and vibrancy. I’m excited about seeing how the school fits into health care delivery and the broader nursing community in Atlanta and across Georgia.
I’m also thrilled about the level of talent at the school — getting the opportunity to work with exceptional individuals who are doing such great work and who are committed to pushing it even further. And I’m excited about our efforts to prepare students for practice and help students and faculty take their research to the next level and expand their influence.
My wife, Beth, and I met at nursing school on registration day. She has had a clinical career as a wound care specialist and home health generalist, and today she maintains a practice while leading the direct-entry master’s program at Boston College. She focuses on clinical education and loves it.
We have two kids in their 20s who have lived in many places and are excited about spending some time in Atlanta — especially our daughter, Julianna, who is a self-described foodie. She is a mental health counselor who practices in eastern Massachusetts, and our son, Cameron, is on active duty in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman and combat medic and trainer. Our family also includes a cat, Patches, a rescue from the streets of Toronto who made the move with us to the U.S.
I love traveling and exploring cities, but honestly, my favorite thing to do is to spend time with friends and family — enjoying a good meal, hanging out together, and having time to reconnect. Reading is also a favorite. I enjoy biographies and books on current affairs, and I’ve gotten into history books because I appreciate how they help us understand the world today. But I also love a good page-turner or police procedural!
My mother’s side of the family is from France, and I lived in French Canada for a good stretch of my life, so I’m a heritage speaker of French and still use it regularly in my work and personal life. Today, it is part of who I am and shows that I’ve lived in many places — and I’m grateful for all those experiences.
Get to Know Dean Sean Clarke
A Start in Ottawa
Clarke at his childhood home in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.
Occupied with Health
He studied occupational health issues such as needlestick injuries during his time at the University of Pennsylvania.
French Roots
He was raised in French Canada, has extended family in France, and is a heritage speaker of French.
Partner in Nursing and Life
He and his wife, Beth, met in nursing school, and they have two adult children. She maintains a practice while leading the direct-entry master’s program at Boston College.
Big Love for Big Cities
He loves big cities. Here he is with his daughter, Julianna, (above), in New York City,
The Traveling Bug
Traveling is one of his favorite hobbies. Here he is with his son, Cameron, in Bordeaux, France.
One Smart Kitty
The family cat, Patches, is a native of Canada (and an avid reader).