A nurse practitioner and educator with nearly three decades of experience in hospital, primary care, hospice, and academics has been named dean of Niagara University’s newly reinstated College of Nursing.

Christine Verni, Ed.D, FNP-BC, APRN, comes to Niagara from D’Youville College, where she has been a member of the faculty and administration since 2008, most recently serving as dean of the Patricia H. Garman School of Nursing. She has also served as a family nurse practitioner at a number of healthcare facilities in Western New York, including Hospice & Palliative Care, UB|MD Emergency, Kaleida Health – Buffalo General, Delaware Pediatrics Associates, and Women & Children’s Hospital. She began her nursing career as a registered nurse at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y. 

“Under Dr. Verni’s leadership, I am confident that the Niagara University College of Nursing will regain its national prominence as a premier nursing program,” said Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., Niagara University president. “She has clearly demonstrated that she has the knowledge, skills, and dedication to preparing healthcare leaders with both the expertise and the ethics to make a profound impact on the lives of those they serve.”

Dr. Verni has been recognized as Nurse of Distinction in Education and has developed leadership acumen through prestigious programs as the National League for Nurse’s Center for Translational Leadership LEAD, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing, and the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York’s Health Leader’s Fellowship programs. A past Ruth Kirchstein National Research Service Award T-32 Institutional Research Training Fellowship recipient, Dr. Verni focuses on grant, research, and publication and presentation opportunities in collaborative medication safety, emergency medicine, and interprofessional education.

“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Niagara University as the dean for the College of Nursing,” Dr. Verni said. “I look forward to working with our nursing team, as well as key partners on our campus and within our global community, to deliver current academic nursing programs and bring new ones to Niagara, as well as showcase the critical training our programs provide while actively preparing students to address social inequities proven to lead to poor health outcomes. Under my leadership, I am confident that the College of Nursing is well positioned to foster student success and afford students the chance to transform healthcare in meaningful and impactful ways. 

She is a member of a number of professional organizations, including New York Organization of Nurse Executives and Leaders, New York Council of Deans, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Nurses Association, and Professional Nurses Association of Western New York.

Dr. Verni holds a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in family nurse practitioner, and a doctorate in health policy from D’Youville College. She also recently earned an MBA from Canisius College.