The University of Texas at El Paso has named Professor Emeritus of Nursing Patricia T. Castiglia, Ph.D., as the interim dean of the School of Nursing.
Castiglia returns to UTEP after having served at the University from 1990-2001. She was founding dean of the College of Health Sciences in 1999 and previously served as dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health (now the School of Nursing) and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
“Coming back to UTEP and the School of Nursing is like coming home again,” Castiglia said. “More faces are new than those from my past tenure at the University, but the UTEP spirit and pride remain constant. As interim dean, I hope to maintain the high standards of the School of Nursing and hope I can contribute to its continued success. First and foremost, it will be my challenge to work with students and faculty members to ensure the best educational experience possible.”
At UTEP, Castiglia initiated the highly successful Kellogg Community Partnership Program, which led to the establishment of four community health care clinics in El Paso County. The program enabled nursing and health sciences students and faculty at UTEP and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso to augment their classroom learning and teaching by providing services to disadvantaged populations in the region.
Under Castiglia’s leadership, the College of Health Sciences established programs in occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacology and public health.
During her tenure, the kinesiology and sports studies programs were transferred to the College of Health Sciences from the College of Education.
Castiglia was the first recipient of the Charles H. and Shirley T. Leavell Endowed Chair in Nursing and Health Sciences at UTEP.
Castiglia earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo (UB) in Buffalo, New York. She served as assistant professor, associate professor, associate dean and interim dean of the UB School of Nursing before coming to UTEP in 1990.
In recognition of her accomplishments, Castiglia has been inducted into the American Academy of Nursing and the El Paso Women’s Hall of Fame. In 1997, she was named Nurse of the Year by the District I Texas Nurses Association. Gov. George W. Bush appointed Castiglia to the Texas Cancer Council in 2000.
UB honored Castiglia by bestowing upon her the title of associate professor emerita. She also has been appointed dean emerita of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. She retired from UTEP as professor emeritus of nursing in 2001.
Castiglia is a member of the Hamburg Counseling Board. She is also on the board of Rotary District 7090’s Gift of Life program, an international humanitarian project of the Rotary Clubs of Western New York and Southern Ontario.
Castiglia has served as a consultant for the University of Vermont, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, the University of Missouri – St. Louis, and the UB School of Nursing.
Castiglia will assume the role of interim dean of the UTEP School of Nursing on Oct. 15. She will temporarily succeed Dean Elias Provencio-Vasquez, who led the School of Nursing for eight years. He has accepted the position of dean of the University of Colorado College of Nursing at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
A national search for a permanent dean will begin this fall.
