Nursing dean earns lifetime achievement award

Marsha Lewis, professor and dean of the School of Nursing, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing.

Lewis is the first alum to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, chosen by the college for her leadership and excellence in nursing, and her contributions to clinical practice, nursing education and research.

She received the honor during the school’s 50th anniversary celebration.

“This honor is particularly special coming from my alma mater. UW-O provided me with a solid foundation upon which to build my practice and research,” says Lewis, a 1972 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Lewis is an internationally recognized nursing educator with more than 30 journal publications and over $10.6 million in grant funding.

A specialist in psychiatric-mental health and nursing education, her research focuses on family caregivers of people with dementia and decision-making for patients and families.

She is the developer of the Savvy Caregiver training program, a transportable intervention that can be facilitated by community members. The program has been implemented across 15 states and two countries, and was heralded as one of the nation’s top evidence-based programs for caregivers by the U.S. Administration on Aging.

Her previous projects have included establishing group interventions to decrease caregiver stress and burden, creation of a decision-making tool for family caregivers, development of online training to accommodate caregivers who are unable to leave their family member and testing of caregiver intervention training for Hispanic and African-American populations.

Her work has earned her recognition as a fellow in the American Academy of Nurses. In addition, Lewis is a member of the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education’s board of commissioners, a federally recognized nursing degree accreditation agency.

“In the 38 years that I served as faculty member, director and dean of the College of Nursing, there is no other alumnus that stands out with as stellar a career as Dr. Marsha L. Lewis,” says Rosemary Smith, emeritus professor and dean of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing.

“Her practice, teaching, scholarly accomplishments, interdisciplinary work, service and leadership are exemplars of consistent excellence leading to high quality outcomes. Dr. Lewis’ achievements rank her in a tier of nursing professionals that few have achieved.”

Lewis joined the UB School of Nursing as dean in 2012, previously serving as associate dean for education in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University.

She has received grants from several prominent funding institutions, including the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Institute of Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Lewis earned a doctorate in education and a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Minnesota, in addition to her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.