Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN
Patricia M. Davidson Health Equity & Social Justice Endowed Professor; Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
Sarah L. Szanton, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Patricia M. Davidson Health Equity and Social Justice Endowed Professor. She is a serial idea entrepreneur. During her first year as Dean, Szanton was named a Woman of Achievement by Business and Professional Women of Maryland and was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
She is also a Heinz Award winner for the Human Condition and a PBS Organization’s “Next Avenue Influencers in Aging.” Dr. Szanton co-developed, led research, and scaled a program for older adults to age in place called CAPABLE. Bringing a nurse, an occupational therapist, and a handy worker to support older adults, the program is now available in 23 States. Currently, she is developing Neighborhood Nursing, a transformative health and social care infrastructure bringing nurses and community health workers to every individual and family in a geographic area.
Under Szanton’s leadership, the school is ranked No. 1 nationally by U.S. News & World Report for its master’s and Doctor of Nursing practice programs and No. 3 globally by QS World University. In 2022, Szanton launched the Policy Honors Program to help students develop skills to influence policies that improve health. She also created the Institute for Policy Solutions, which is a hub for health policy leadership and research capacity development for global nurse leaders and scientists. Szanton has testified on Capitol Hill regarding the nursing workforce and faculty shortages. She is the thought leader behind a new model of universal preventive care called Neighborhood Nursing.