Dr. Tina Martin named UMMC School of Nursing dean

Published on Monday, March 4, 2024

By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu

Photos By: Melanie Thortis/ UMMC Photography

University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing Dean Dr. Tina Martin has an eye to the future while standing firmly on the history of the state’s first academic nursing program.

“This is an exciting time for the UMMC School of Nursing,” Martin said. “We’re working to expand enrollment to meet the need for more nurses and increase nursing research and partnerships that will serve our community.”

Officially becoming the school’s eighth dean on March 3, Martin, a Brandon resident, has served as interim dean of the School of Nursing since July 1.

Martin has been leading UMMC’s nursing programs in Jackson and Oxford since the groundbreaking for a new state-of-the-art School of Nursing on the Medical Center campus. The additional classroom and laboratory space will accommodate an enrollment increase of up to 25%.

UMMC’s nursing program in Oxford is growing to include a traditional bachelor of science in nursing degree track that opens in May. That expansion will increase enrollment and graduation of baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses by 28%.

“Building the future nursing workforce to meet the needs of an ever-changing health care system is a challenge,” she said. “At our School of Nursing, we must continue the momentum that is already in place.”

Martin, a professor of nursing who holds a PhD in clinical health sciences, an MSN and a BSN, all from UMMC, has served the School of Nursing in various roles since joining UMMC’s faculty ranks in 1999. She has been associate dean for administration since 2022, assistant dean for accreditation and evaluation from 2016 to 2022 and interim assistant dean for undergraduate programs from 2020 to 2021.

From 2009 to 2016, the Columbia native was director of UMMC’s Accelerated BSN program. She has also held academic appointments in the School of Health Related Professions and the School of Medicine.

During her tenure, Martin has provided care to South Delta School District students through SON school-based clinics. From 1999 to 2009, she was a family nurse practitioner in the Department of Neurology, collaborating with neurologists to diagnose and treat neurological conditions in an outpatient setting.

She was named to UMMC’s Academy for Excellence in Education in 2022 and was a 2020-2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing Fellow. Her nursing research has been published in numerous journals.

“Dr. Martin will lead the second-oldest school on the Medical Center campus during a pivotal time,” said Dr. Scott Rodgers, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMMC. “The transformation of the School of Nursing, already underway, is essential to meeting the need for nurses in Mississippi and beyond. Dr. Martin’s experience and expertise, as well as her dedication to the Medical Center’s mission, will serve her well in this role and will continue to be an asset to the School of Nursing and UMMC.”