La Verne Resident Renee Pozza Named Dean of APU’s Nationally Ranked School of Nursing

Azusa Pacific University Provost Anita Fitzgerald Henck, PhD, named La Verne, CA resident Renee Pozza, PhD, RN, CNS, FNP-BC, FAASLD, dean of the School of Nursing (SON), effective October 1, 2023. Pozza, a nationally recognized researcher, clinician, educator, and leader in nursing education brings more than 25 years of higher education experience to the role with expertise in developing new programs and pathways for nursing professionals at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

“Dr. Pozza is a visionary collaborator and innovative educator deeply committed to her faith which provides her with the core values essential for academic leadership at APU,” Henck said. “Her investment in APU has shaped institutional policies and practices which has positioned the university as a local, national, and global leader in nursing education.”

As SON dean, Pozza oversees day-to-day operations and provides leadership to 14 programs, the Institute of Health Research, and Continuing Education on five campuses (Azusa, Monrovia, San Diego, High Desert, Inland Empire). Pozza will serve internal and external stakeholders, including being a liaison with APU’s clinical partners that support the SON in its mission of educating the next generation of nursing and public health professionals. She will also supervise accreditation efforts on both state and national levels. Pozza will manage relations with alumni across the nation and the world as the SON prepares for its 50th anniversary in 2025.

“To bring my passion for preparing exemplary nurses to this role at my alma mater is exciting,” Pozza said. “I completed three programs of study from APU, taught on our faculty, and served as associate dean for more than two decades. I understand the critical need for competent and compassionate nurses at the bedside, as nurse educators, and as health care leaders and scholars. And I can attest to the impact our nurses are making across the world. I look forward to advancing our forward-thinking, innovative approach that will bring health and wellness to generations of Californians and others around the country and across the globe.”

Pozza’s appointment follows serving as interim dean of the School of Nursing since July 2022. She previously served as senior associate dean of academic initiatives and innovation (2016-22), associate dean of academic affairs (2005-16), associate professor (2000-12), and adjunct faculty (1996-2000). Under her leadership, the SON implemented several new programs and pathways in nursing education (including RN to BSN, Entry Level Master’s, and BSN to DNP), built skills and simulation laboratories, incorporated faith integration and virtual simulation into the curriculum, initiated several academic-practice partnerships, and led teams for successful re-accreditation and re-approval visits with the CCNE and the BRN.

Pozza has served as the director of clinical research at the Liver Center for the Southern California Transplantation Institute Research Foundation since 2003. She maintains an active practice as a hepatology nurse practitioner at the Southern California GI and Liver Centers. Pozza has received numerous industry and academic awards throughout her career including the Author of the Year from The Nurse Practitioner Journal in 2020 and the Uncommon Citizen Award from APU in 2008. In 2015, she was inducted as a fellow into the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases for her research contributions to the field. She is only the second nurse in the U.S. to hold this designation. Pozza completed her PhD in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She holds a Post Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certification, Master of Science in Nursing, and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from APU.

APU’s nationally ranked School of Nursing prepares nurses to lead the way in health care and provide a deeper level of compassionate care in clinics, hospitals, schools, and beyond. APU’s School of Nursing offers programs for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral nursing degrees available online, on campus, and at our regional campuses across Southern California.