Ashley Leak Bryant named vice dean of UNC School of Nursing

Ashley Leak Bryant, PhD, RN, OCN, FAAN, FGSA, has been named vice dean of the UNC School of Nursing, effective Sept. 1, 2026.

Bryant currently serves as senior associate dean for the Office of Strategy and Global Affairs and as co-director of the Pan American Health Organization Collaborating Center in Quality and Safety in Nursing and Midwifery. She holds the Frances Hill Fox Distinguished Term Professorship.

The School created the vice dean position as its teaching, research, practice and global portfolios have grown. Bryant will serve as the dean’s chief deputy and work in partnership with members of the senior leadership team to connect the School’s programs and priorities.

“Ashley understands Carolina Nursing and has a clear view of how our teaching, research, practice and global work connect,” said Dean Valerie Howard. “She is a relational leader who brings people together around shared priorities. I am grateful that she has accepted this role and look forward to working with her as we continue to advance the School’s mission.”

Bryant is a scientist whose research focuses on team-based palliative care for older adults with cancer and their care partners. Her work emphasizes interprofessional practice and research shaped by patients and caregivers. Her contributions to nursing science and education also include developing academic-practice partnerships that support workforce development and students and nurses locally, nationally and globally.

Bryant served as interim associate dean for global initiatives from August 2022 to May 2023, when she was promoted to senior associate dean for global initiatives. She held that role through August 2024. During a reorganization of the School, her role expanded to senior associate dean for the Office of Strategy and Global Affairs adding strategic partnerships and practice, Area Health Education Centers and American Nurses Credentialing Center work to her portfolio.

From 2021 to 2025, Bryant also served as assistant director of the Cancer Research Training and Education Center at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Bryant received the 2026 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educator, which recognizes educators who inspire and prepare the next generation of nurses. Her work at Carolina Nursing includes teaching, mentorship and leadership.

A Charlotte native, Bryant earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2003 and a Master of Science in Nursing in nursing administration in 2005 from UNC Greensboro. She earned her doctorate in nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011, along with an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Aging. She later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Bryant has completed the Relational Leadership Institute, the UNC School of Medicine Academic Career Leadership Academy in Medicine, the UNC System Executive Leadership Institute, the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Leaders Network Program and Kotter International’s Foundations of Change. She has also participated in UNC Center for Faculty Excellence leadership and mentoring programs since 2014.

Bryant will begin her new role at a time of continued growth for Carolina Nursing, bringing her knowledge of the School and experience across its mission areas to help guide its next phase.