ATLANTA – Dr. Cynthia Rubenstein, R.N., Ph.D., CPNP-PC, will join Mercer University's Georgia Baptist College of Nursing as associate dean of the undergraduate program, effective July 21. Dr. Rubenstein succeeds Dr. JoEllen Dattilo, who announced last summer her plans to step down after serving on the University's faculty for 31 years.
“While I am grateful for the many years of service provided by Dr. Dattilo, I am also very confident that Dr. Rubenstein will be an integral member of our nursing leadership team. The nursing administrative team will work together with faculty, students, staff, community leaders and constituencies to further advance the undergraduate program,” said Dr. Linda A. Streit, R.N., DSN, dean of the College of Nursing.
Dr. Rubenstein comes to Mercer from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she served as undergraduate program director for the Department of Nursing in the College of Health and Behavioral Studies.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of Virginia, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Ph.D. in nursing from Villanova University.
Dr. Rubenstein has more than 20 years of practice in pediatric nursing, including neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), emergency department (ED) and home health experience. She is a certified nurse practitioner with more than 14 years of clinical practice, including her current practice at Harrisonburg Pediatrics in Virginia.
Her research focuses on childhood obesity prevention. She has worked collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to develop expert nutritional content for an interactive web-based educational program for the Virginia Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Other current research focuses on nursing education and political self-efficacy in BSN students. Her work has been presented at local, regional and national meetings and published in peer-reviewed journals. She has also published a peer-reviewed book chapter.
Dr. Rubenstein serves as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal of Specialists in Pediatric Nursing and an American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Commission on College Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation site visitor. She was the 2013 recipient of the AACN Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Award and a 2012 fellow of the AACN Leadership for Academic Nursing Program.
About the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Founded in 1902 as a school of nursing, the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing is the oldest nursing program in Georgia. Over its 111-year history, the College has graduated more than 7,500 nurses. Since its founding, the College remains dedicated to educating the person, fostering the passion and shaping the future of nursing. The College merged with Mercer University in 2001 and offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a Master of Science in Nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Ph.D. in nursing. The College of Nursing is one of four academic units within the Mercer University Health Sciences Center. nursing.mercer.edu
