LHSON Appointment of New Associate Dean

January 8, 2024

The Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON) congratulates Kathryn A. Osteen, PhD, RN, CMSRN, CNE on her appointment as Associate Dean for the Pre-Licensure Program and Clinical Associate Professor. Dr. Osteen will serve alongside Dr. Lisa Jones, also an Associate Dean for the Pre-Licensure Program, over all three tracks in the undergraduate program including: Traditional, FastBacc® and Distance Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (DABSN).

Dr. Osteen joined the LHSON in 2002 and has over 20 years teaching experience. Her teaching areas in Undergraduate include: Professional Nursing Practice, Human Needs, and Critical Care and in Graduate: Epidemiology, Scientific Inquiry, and Servant Leadership. She received her PhD from the University of Texas at Arlington. She received both her BSN and MSN from Baylor University. Previously, Dr. Osteen taught as a Medicine Nurse Educator at Parkland Health and Hospital System in Dallas Texas and practiced critical care nursing at various hospitals in Dallas.

Dr. Osteen has worked in the adult cardiac intensive care unit for over 28 years and is passionate about the congenital heart population. Dr. Osteen was born with a bicuspid aortic valve. Due to the added stress of a twin and singleton pregnancy, surgery was needed to replace the aortic valve, and to repair both the pulmonary valve and an aortic arch aneurism. As a result of this experience, Dr. Osteen is very passionate about research, advocacy, and education for both children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Dr. Osteen participates in CHD advocacy through influencing legislation in Washington D.C., attending several CHD Legislative Conferences. As a Texas representative, Dr. Osteen advocates for increased federal funding to improve care and affect change to continue to save the lives of CHD survivors. Dr. Osteen is committed to and contributes to raising funds for research.
 

Outside her work life, Dr. Osteen contributes time and effort to her community. She is currently serving in many roles for The Children’s Heart Foundation whose mission is to advance the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of congenital heart defects by funding the most promising research. These roles include serving on the National Board of The Children’s Heart Foundation, the National Medical Advisory Council, and serving as the National Advocacy Committee Chair. She also mentors and is a past committee chair of the annual Dallas Fort Worth and San Antonio Congenital Heart Walks.

Additionally, Dr. Osteen is a co-Chair of the Congenital Heart Public Health Consortium—an American Academy of Pediatrics prominent public health initiative, and a member of the American Heart Association’s Council on Lifelong Congenital Heart Disease and Heart Health in the Young. She is also involved with her local church as well as with the local Boy Scouts of America organization.

At the LHSON Dr. Osteen is a faculty advisor for Bears Helping Hearts a student organization open to any nursing student who is interested in learning about and creating awareness of congenital heart disease and defects. She continually volunteers on many University Committees such as the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and the Mentoring Committee. Dr. Osteen is also a member of many national and local nursing organizations.

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