Shirey reappointed as UABSON Dean for additional 5-year term
UAB Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Janet Woodruff-Borden, PhD, has reappointed Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN, as Dean of the UAB School of Nursing for an additional five-year term, from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030. Shirey became the fifth dean of UAB School of Nursing in June 2022.
“I have reappointed Dean Shirey for a five-year term and look forward to her continued leadership and the continued excellence of the School of Nursing in the coming years,” Woodruff-Borden said.
The Office of the Provost introduced this new dean reappointment process in 2025 to provide an opportunity to gather broad input regarding a dean’s leadership. Each UAB dean is reviewed by an 8-member committee who evaluate all aspects of the dean’s responsibilities and the progress made by the school during their tenure. The rigorous process included a self-reflection by the dean, public presentation, committee interview of the dean and any stakeholders the committee elected to interview, post-presentation survey, and a final report compiled by the committee.
“Thank you for your input and feedback on the dean’s performance. I am grateful for your time, thoughtful comments, and commitment to a process of transparent review. Reviews like these, and your contributions to them, help us to continue to create the culture and excellence we are all committed to at UAB,” Woodruff-Borden said.
Excellence in leadership
Under Shirey’s leadership, the School has seen notable growth in research and national rankings; increased enrollment, student support, and retention; effective stewardship of resources and fundraising; enhanced communication and culture; and expansion/improvement of our facilities for faculty, staff, and students. Shirey led the development of a new strategic plan articulating her vision of Boldly Blazing Forward: Elevating Excellence to New Heights (2024-2028). Under her leadership, the School launched the Leadership and Health Policy Initiative creating a Fellows program to prepare faculty for influence and impact. “Serving as Dean of the UAB School of Nursing has been the honor of my life and I feel immensely blessed to have the opportunity to serve this School and University,” Shirey stated.
Continuing the momentum
Moving forward, continued community engagement, leadership development and communication with external constituents will be some areas of focus for Shirey, Woodruff-Borden said. Her next term will focus on continued strategic growth of academic offerings to meet workforce needs, expanding the research enterprise, and driving game changing clinical partnerships. Empowering and supporting the development of student, faculty, and staff initiatives will continue to be a hallmark of Dean Shirey’s leadership.
A proven leader
Shirey, a tenured professor in the School since 2013, is board certified in advanced nursing executive practice and health care management. Before becoming Dean, she previously chaired the SON Department of Acute, Chronic and Continuing Care, and prior to becoming Dean in 2022 she was the Associate Dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships, overseeing the strategic, financial, human resources and operations of the school’s multiple community partnerships, the faculty practice enterprise and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Center for International Nursing. Most notably in the clinical realm, Shirey continues to consult with the executive leadership of the Heart Failure Transitional Care Services for Adults (HRTSA) Clinic in collaboration with UAB Medicine—of which she was founding director, has an integral role as leader in the UAB Nursing Partnership and holds a seat on the UAB Health System Authority Board of Directors, which governs UAB Hospital and Health System.
She is a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice, Academy of Nursing Education, American Academy of Nursing, and American College of Healthcare Executives. In 2019, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership recognized Shirey with its Nurse Researcher Award for her career contributions to advancing leadership and health systems science, and she received the inaugural Suzanne Smith Memorial Award for Scholarly Writing Excellence from the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing in 2016.
International Researcher Hall of Fame
In July 2025, Shirey was one of 15 world-renowned nurse researchers inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Shirey’s research focus includes authentic leadership in nursing as well as the development of interprofessional collaborative practice models to advance care access and health equity for vulnerable populations with chronic diseases. Her unique interprofessional point of view has allowed her to bring to UAB extramural funding of more than $20 million since 2013. She has been awarded three U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration training grants to establish the now sustained HRTSA Clinic and to help improve health outcomes in medically underserved areas.
“Being inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame is an incredible honor and a personal milestone for me,” Shirey said. “This recognition is affirmation that nurse leaders are making a difference through scholarship, community and global partnerships, and in education. Leadership is in our DNA at the UAB School of Nursing and I am thrilled to share that message with the world through this international recognition.”