Associate Dean for Research/William A. and Ruth F. Loewenberg Chair of Excellence in Nursing named

After an extensive search, the Loewenberg College of Nursing has named Dr. Leanne Lefler Associate Dean for Research/William A. and Ruth F. Loewenberg Chair of Excellence in Nursing. In this role, she will be a tenured professor who provides leadership and expertise in research, promotes collaborative and interdisciplinary research and works with faculty to identify internal and external funding resources and publication opportunities. She will join LCON on June 13, 2022.

Nationally recognized for her work as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing as well as a Fellowship in the American Heart Association, Dr. Lefler obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and post-doctoral training from the John A. Hartford Foundation. She holds the endowed Professorship in Women’s Cardiovascular Health and is a board certified Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Dr. Lefler has developed innovative models of care and education and conducted a program of research that informs treatment of older adults with cardiovascular disease. She has been the recipient of multiple federal and other research grants for her work in reducing cardiovascular risk, improving physical activity, improving quality of life in older adults with heart failure, quality of telehealth for older adults, and educating nurse practitioners. 

Most recently, she was federally funded to test a model of telehealth care to promote self-management of heart failure in older adults and to reduce burden for caregivers. Dr. Lefler has been awarded more than $7 million in combined grant funding from the NIH, PCORI, Robert W. Johnson Foundation, Hartford Foundation, and others. In addition, she has multiple presentations and publications in these areas.

With sustained contributions of leadership, service, and excellence in aging research, Dr. Lefler is a former leader for the Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, she currently serves on the Health Care Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, advocating for older adults. She also was named Nurse Leader for the Culture of Health and Campaign Outreach Advocate for The Culture of Health by the Robert W. Johnson Foundation for her work with older adults in community intervention research and service.