With great pride and enthusiasm, I address you as the newly appointed dean of the College of Nursing and system chief nurse executive of UF Health. As I step into these roles, I am filled with a profound sense of responsibility and enthusiasm for the incredible journey ahead. Gator Nurses care, inspire and lead every day. My charge is to support you in doing so BOLDLY!
At the heart of nursing is our unwavering commitment to care. Nursing is not just a profession but a vocation driven by compassion and empathy. To care boldly means we must persist in seeking novel approaches to deliver patient-centered care, prioritizing the welfare and respect of our patients as the primary focus of our endeavors. We know that no one cares more than a Gator Nurse!
Yet, nursing is not just about providing care but about inspiring hope and resilience. As nurses, we are privileged to witness the incredible strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The vision for inspiring boldly requires us to encourage creativity and innovation while embracing emerging technologies and evidence-based practices to drive excellence in patient care. Nursing research has — and will continue to — transform health care only if we are bold in our aspirations for collaboration, change and new ideas. Within the Gator Nation, we have all the ingredients to contribute to the growing body of knowledge that informs best practices and make a true difference in the lives of individuals.
Nurses possess innate leadership qualities. Our daily tasks necessitate us to make crucial judgments, collaborate with heterogeneous teams and adjust to constantly changing health care environments. To lead boldly means that nurses are leaders in patient care and health care policy, education and research. As Gator Nurses, we lead the way from the clinical setting, the lab, the classroom, our communities and everywhere in between!
In closing, by embracing these principles of caring, leading and inspiring boldly, we can usher in a new era of nursing excellence. Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of what nursing can achieve, elevating our profession and improving the lives of countless individuals and communities.
I am thrilled to embark on this journey with my fellow Gator Nurses, and I am confident that together, we can achieve remarkable milestones in the nursing field. Let us be fearless in our pursuit of excellence, unyielding in our commitment to compassionate care and unwavering in our dedication to nursing’s noble calling.
Thank you for your unwavering dedication to the nursing profession. I look forward to working hand-in-hand with each of you to bring our vision of caring, leading and inspiring boldly to life.

With heartfelt gratitude and anticipation,
Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, EMBA, IBCLC, RNC-NIC
Dean, UF College of Nursing
System Chief Nurse Executive, UF Health