Introducing the School of Nursing and Dean Tony Umadhay
The longtime Barry professor and 30-year veteran nurse brings a future-oriented, collaborative perspective to his new role.
Ask Dr. Tony Umadhay about the qualities that set Barry nursing students and alumni apart from the rest, and he points directly to the university’s core commitments. “We are driven by mission,” he says. “The core commitments of social justice, knowledge and truth, inclusive community, and collaborative service are tightly threaded through-out our curriculum. These commitments serve as a solid basis for our purpose”.
Dr. Umadhay, longtime Professor of Anesthesiology and the newly appointed Dean of the School of Nursing, has always viewed nursing as a vehicle for individual, systemic, and global transformation. Growing up in the Philippines, he watched his aunties become nurses and follow their careers to California, where they both settled, while continuing to support loved ones back in the homeland. “They provided the vision,” he says of the social mobility and economic opportunities that his aunts modeled and shared with his family. “Culturally, it is acknowledged that Filipinos migrate abroad for work to support families for a better future back home. I too, wanted to make a difference”.
This ingrained belief in uplifting others is part of the reason Dean Umadhay connects deeply with Barry’s mission and the School of Nursing faculty, students, and alumni who embody it so thoroughly. “The core of nursing is our ability to embrace humanism” he says. “Nursing is a calling to care for others where empathy and compassion are hallmarks of practice”.
With more than 30 years of experience as a nurse and nurse anesthetist, Dr. Umadhay has cared for a range of patients in a variety of settings. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and his Master of Science in Nurse Anesthesiology from Florida International University. He joined Barry University as an adjunct faculty, was appointed program director, and more recently served as associate dean. He also earned his PhD in Nursing degree from Barry. Today, Dean Umadhay still continues to practice as a clinical nurse anesthetist.
As he steps into the position of Dean of the School of Nursing, Dr. Umadhay is passionate about connecting with faculty, students, and alumni with shared values to advance wellness and promote health equity. He says, “I envision a world where nurses are persistent idealists and courageous leaders who will stand up for a more empowered and just society.”
Original source can be found here.
