The endowed position was created through the generosity of Janet (NHS’75) and Brian Hehir in memory of Mrs. Hehir’s parents. The Hehirs have a legacy of service at Georgetown University, including Mrs. Hehir’s terms on the university’s Board of Regents and the NHS Board of Visitors, as well as Mr. Hehir’s role as chair emeritus of the NHS Board of Visitors. They are the parents of Courtney (NHS’02, G’07), Colleen (C’04), Brian (C’06), and Jacqueline.
“We are deeply grateful for the Hehirs’ generosity and leadership, which have positioned us to be a leader in values based health care,” says NHS Dean Bette Jacobs, Ph.D., RN. “Laura is the right incumbent to lead these efforts. Throughout her career, she has advanced evidence-based science in ways that improve the health and well-being of all people.”
“Keeping values at the center of health care is core to our mission at the School of Nursing & Health Studies,” says Colleen Norton, Ph.D., RN, associate professor of nursing and chair of the national search committee. “With a distinguished academic background, Laura Anderko will help illuminate Georgetown University’s Catholic, Jesuit identity in new ways across the health care spectrum. We are pleased to have recruited someone of her caliber.”
Currently, Anderko serves as associate professor and director of the Nursing Centers Research Network, which is sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and is one of only two nursing networks in the nation.
Within the network—headquartered at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee—Anderko coordinates translational research initiatives among nearly 30 nursing centers that serve indigent populations in 17 states. She is also a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow and has held health policy leadership positions at the Wisconsin Public Health Association, the Wisconsin Nurses Association, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In addition, as associate dean for practice at the University of Wisconsin, Anderko led strategic planning for the university’s College of Nursing’s practice initiatives throughout three centers, including Continuing Education and Outreach, the Institute for Urban Health Partnerships, and the Center for Cultural Diversity and Global Health.
Anderko writes and presents on topics such as health disparities, rural nursing, health policy leadership, academic nursing practice, and environmental health. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Illinois, a master’s degree in nursing from Northern Illinois University, and a doctorate in public health from the University of Illinois.
At Georgetown, Anderko will organize academic activities related to health care equity, as well as launch new avenues for experiential learning among the student body. She will also help convene a variety of campus offices that have a stake in the improvement of health for all people—in the District of Columbia, across the nation, and around the globe. Partners in these endeavors include, but are not limited to, the Office of Mission and Ministry; the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service; and the Center for Clinical Bioethics.
“It is very exciting that Laura is joining the faculty,” says Kathleen Maas Weigert, Ph.D., director of the university’s Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service. “Her commitment to social justice complements the university’s strong track record of outreach to the community. Her health care focus will help ensure that critical questions about health care access, delivery, and quality remain at the forefront of our academic activities.”
“I am honored to have this opportunity,” Anderko says. “My career has consistently focused on advocating for excellence and equity in health care delivery through research, teaching, practice, and service initiatives. My aim is to contribute to a just society that supports healthy public policy with a focus on the prevention of poverty and disease.”
“It is critical that our students actively explore and engage in strategies not only to understand the reasons behind our current health care crisis, but also to offer sustainable solutions for a healthy society,” she adds.
Anderko succeeds Patricia Cloonan, Ph.D., RN, who served as interim chair during the search process. Cloonan is a longtime NHS professor, currently serving as associate professor of health systems administration.
About the School of Nursing & Health Studies Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies—a part of Georgetown University Medical Center—translates science into outcomes that benefit the public’s health. NHS lives its mission “to improve the health and well being of all people” through innovative educational and research programs. The school houses a multi-million dollar research portfolio and includes the Departments of Health Systems Administration, Human Science, International Health, and Nursing, as well as the Center on Health and Education and—in partnership with Georgetown University Law Center—the Linda and Timothy O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Visit
About Georgetown University Medical Center Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through our partnership with MedStar Health). Our mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis—or “care of the whole person.” The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), home to 60 percent of the university’s sponsored research funding.
