Mercy University Appoints Dr. Zainab Toteh Osakwe as Senior Associate Dean and Chief Nursing Officer
Today, Mercy University announced the appointment of Dr. Zainab Toteh Osakwe as Senior Associate Dean and Chief Nursing Officer, effective June 16, 2026. Dr. Osakwe brings exceptional leadership, scholarly excellence, and a deep commitment to nursing education and practice that will help advance the school's mission of preparing the next generation of nursing professionals.
Dr. Osakwe is a nurse practitioner with extensive leadership experience across academic, hospital, and home- and community-based care settings. Previously, she served as Associate Professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health at Adelphi University and held administrative roles at Montefiore Health System and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She has also served as director of both long-term and certified home health care programs in New York City, where she provided operational oversight and led interdisciplinary teams with distinction.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and member of the New York State Board for Nursing, Dr. Osakwe directs a well-established program of research focused on home-based dementia care and nursing workforce development. Her work has secured competitive funding, including an R21 grant from the National Institute on Aging examining nurse practitioner-led home-based primary care teams for individuals living with dementia, as well as support from Sigma Theta Tau and the Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center at Mount Sinai.
In this role, Dr. Osakwe will serve as the academic and administrative leader responsible for the overall quality, integrity, and regulatory compliance of the School of Nursing's academic and clinical programs. She will provide strategic, operational, and academic leadership to support the school's mission of excellence in nursing education, working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and university leadership to advance academic programs, promote student success, ensure accreditation compliance, and foster a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and continuous improvement.
“This appointment represents more than a leadership role; it is a meaningful opportunity to serve the profession by shaping the future of nursing education,” said Dr. Osakwe. “For me, it means working collaboratively with faculty, students, and health system partners to prepare future nurses and advanced practice nurses to excel in an evolving healthcare environment. It reflects my commitment to advancing program quality, supporting scholarly achievement, strengthening clinical excellence, and building a culture grounded in collaboration, accountability, research, and continuous growth.”
Dr. Osakwe views the development of the next generation of nursing scholars and practitioners as essential to advancing the nursing profession. She has guided numerous early-career nurse faculty, doctoral students, nurse practitioner students, and undergraduate students, and has contributed substantially to initiatives supporting early-career tenure-track faculty development. Her service extends beyond academia—she serves as a Trustee of TruMerit (formerly CGFNS International), has held leadership roles with the Eastern Nursing Research Society, and volunteers with a food pantry in the South Bronx and on the Community Advisory Board of Jacobi/North Central.
Dr. Osakwe earned her undergraduate degree from Adelphi University, her master's degree from Rutgers University, and her PhD from Columbia University School of Nursing, where her doctoral training was funded by a T32 award from the National Institute of Nursing Research.