Ellen Dawson , PhD, ANP

Department Chair

Education

Dr. Dawson received her nursing diploma from Newport Hospital School of Nursing in 1971. After earning her master’s degree as an adult nurse practitioner from George Mason University in Virginia, she served as director of the GMU’s Student Health Services while pursuing her doctoral degree. In December 1999, Dr. Dawson presented her dissertation on understanding and predicting college students’ alcohol use, and received her Ph.D. from George Mason University the following year.

Professional & Research Interests

Dr. Dawson, whose appointment began July 1, 2005, became the first chief nurse administrator and chair of the Department of Nursing Education. With more than 30 years of clinical experience, Dr. Dawson has utilized her professional administrative experience as associate dean of University Life and director of Student Health Services at George Mason University from 1993-2000 and served as assistant dean of graduate nursing programs in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at George Mason University from 2000-2005. She has served as a member and chair on numerous college, university, and community committees.

Dr. Dawson is active in local health-care systems, recently serving as chair of the Northern Virginia Area Health Education Center and as an active member of Fairfax County Health Department’s Leadership Council. She has been involved in Community-Based Participatory Research with Inova Health Care Systems in Fairfax, Va., and is currently the co-principle investigator for the National Nurses Emergency Preparedness Initiative, which aims to train nurses for emergency and disaster preparedness.

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