Janet Rankin appointed dean, University of Calgary in Qatar

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Janet Rankin as dean of University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ) for a two-year term, effective Aug. 1, 2023. 

Dr. Rankin has been a member of the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary since January 2008 and was previously seconded to UCQ where she served as co-ordinator, graduate program from 2013 to 2017.

Dr. Rankin has been involved in nursing work since 1975. She earned a nursing diploma from the Vancouver General Hospital School of Nursing before completing her Bachelor of Science (Nursing) at the University of British Columbia and her PhD at the University of Victoria.

Dr. Rankin’s research focuses on the impact of hospital restructuring and health-care reforms on nurses and patients. In 2006 she published her PhD research in the book Managing to Nurse: Inside Canada’s Health Care Reform (co-authored with Marie Campbell). Currently she is collaborating with Campbell to write Nursing by Design: Inside Digital Solutions to Healthcare Problems. This research focuses on the electronic health record and other technologically generated modes of knowledge that have introduced significant changes into how nurses’ knowledge is organized. 

Dr. Rankin is internationally recognized for her use of the sociological research approach, institutional ethnography (IE). She has consulted widely on diverse IE projects (music studies; animal welfare; child protection; reconstruction post disaster). This year, her extensive mentorship is being recognized in Philadelphia at the Society for the Study of Social Problems where she is receiving the 2023 Kathleen S. Lowney Mentoring Award.

We would also like to thank Dr. Debbie White for her excellent leadership as dean of UCQ over the past seven years. Debbie’s term came to an end on June 30, 2023. During her time in Doha, Dr. White’s leadership was critical in building the capacity of the nursing workforce in Qatar. She worked tirelessly to develop vital partnerships and elevate the stature of the nursing profession in Qatar. 

During her time as dean, Dr. White led the implementation of a state-of-the-art concept-based nursing curriculum and recently led the UCQ team in achieving accreditation from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing for this new curriculum.

Zohra Hasnani-Samnani has been appointed interim dean effective July 1, 2023-July 31, 2023. Hasnani-Samnani has been at UCQ since 2012 and has extensive experience in the fields of clinical nursing, research and education in major teaching hospitals and universities. She is the current associate dean (academic), UCQ, and has been instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition as we welcome Dr. Janet Rankin to her role.

Please join us in warmly welcoming Dr. Janet Rankin to her new position and thanking Dr. Debbie White for her service to UCQ and the University of Calgary.

Dr. Penny Werthner, interim provost and vice president (academic), University of Calgary
Dr. Hala Al-Essa, president, University of Calgary, Qatar