In the summer of 1918, the University of Washington began offering
public health nursing courses in response to the impact of the
Spanish flu on Washington's public health infrastructure. In 1921, the university formed the Department of Nursing and appointed Elizabeth Sterling Soule, the
state health department's supervisor of public health nursing, as
dean. Research funding for the school increased from $26,000 per year in 1969 to more than $930,000 in 1976. Dean Rheba de Tornyay developed the school's first PhD in nursing science in 1977 and the first recipient was Marcia Killien in 1982. In 2011,
U.S. News & World Report rated it in a three-way tie for the top spot with
Johns Hopkins University and the
University of Pennsylvania. U.S. News & World Report 2020 Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice ranked UW fourth in the country. In 2011, the
Seattle Times reported low morale and "internal strife" ... "with separate departments and specialty areas pitted against one another and the school as a whole. The situation was also exacerbated by budget cuts. Dean Marla Salmon tendered her resignation in May 2011 after three years in the post. Azita Emami was named Dean of UW School of Nursing starting July 1, 2013. Dr. Emami had been the dean at Seattle University from 2008 to 2013. == Notable people ==