By GREGORY ZELLER //
The Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies has bid farewell to its founding dean and welcomed a rising star.
Registered Nurse Kathleen Gallo, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing who’s led the nursing school since its 2015 launch, retired May 31. Gallo is succeeded by Vice Dean and Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse Renee McLeod-Sordjan, a fellow AAN fellow who joined the School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies as a professor in 2017 and became vice dean in 2021.
Gallo also retired from her role as Northwell Health’s chief learning officer, concluding a 26-year run extends back to the health system’s North Shore-Long Island Jewish days, prior to is 2016 rebranding.
McLeod-Sordjan will continue to serve as Northwell’s director and system chairwoman of medical ethics, roles she’s held since 2019.
Kathleen Gallo: Jobs well done.
While confident in its future under the new dean, the School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies is losing a transformative leader who quickly built the nascent nursing school into a topflight medical institution, according to Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling.
“Kathy’s leadership and remarkable vision have been integral to the success of the school over the last several years,” Dowling said this week.
While shaping the nursing school’s curriculum – based largely on PEARLS, the Patient-Centered Explorations in Active Reasoning, Learning and Synthesis protocols in use at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and other top medical institutions – Gallo also spearheaded Hofstra University’s COVID-19 response.
Her experiences in emergency medicine – Gallo began her career as a nurse at the Hospital for Special Surgery and once served as Northwell’s system director for emergency medicine, among ither stops in her 40-year career – made her the perfect leader for that unique challenge, noted Hofstra University President Susan Poser.
Susan Poser: Seamless, dean to dean.
“Kathleen Gallo is a visionary leader who committed her career to patient-centered care and developing the next generation of healthcare leaders,” Poser said in a statement. “She has built an incredibly strong foundation at the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies, with a groundbreaking curriculum and caring, innovative faculty and administrators.”
That includes McLeod-Sordjan, who also boasts a “proven record as an academic leader and deep understanding of the school’s mission,” according to Poser.
“Dr. McLeod-Sordjan is the best person to shape its future and ensure a seamless transition,” Poser added.
Dowling agreed the new dean would “continue our commitment to excellence in healthcare education and usher in an exciting new chapter for the school,” while Gallo herself endorsed her successor as “an innovative healthcare thought leader” who’s “well-poised to be the next dean.”
“She is not only an outstanding educator, but she is a well-respected clinician and medical ethicist,” the recent retiree added. “I know of no other nursing professional more uniquely qualified who can shepherd the school into the future by developing the next generation of healthcare professionals.”
