New vice chancellor visits School of Nursing, shares vision with faculty and staff

One month into his role, Vice Chancellor of Human Health Sciences Mark Rosenblatt visited the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis to listen, learn and share his vision for UC Davis Health.

His visit came during the school’s first All-School Summit, a new quarterly, in-person meeting to strengthen cross-team connection and align on goals and strategy. Faculty and staff gathered in Betty Irene Moore Hall and at Aggie Square, where several school teams will move in the coming weeks to deepen connections with UC Davis partners and grow innovation.

It starts with people

Rosenblatt spoke about the power of UC Davis Health as an integrated academic health system and the central role of nursing and advanced practice in care, education and research.

“My vision for UC Davis Health’s future begins with people – our patients, our communities and our caregivers,” he said.

He also discussed issues on people’s minds, including artificial intelligence (AI) in health care, leadership and enterprise-level strategy.

He highlighted the importance of team-based care and caregiver well‑being. He noted that demand for care is rising and that nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) help increase capacity and continuity. He emphasized that environments where clinicians can thrive are key to quality and safety.

“Health care demand is outpacing physician supply. This isn’t theoretical anymore; it’s operational reality,” Rosenblatt said. “That’s where your NPs and PAs are critical. Your programs are vital to expanding capacity with excellent clinicians who can lead in team‑based models to maintain access to care.”

Where we head next

Dean Stephen Cavanagh welcomed colleagues and framed the new summit series.

“A summit is a place you reach together. A point above the day-to-day. A moment to pause, look around and align on where we’re headed next,” he said.

He shared that the school is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year and announced the Dean’s Leadership Council, an internal advisory group to inform new initiatives and support effective, strategic decision-making within the school.

Staff and leaders said the conversation felt timely and practical.

“It was helpful to hear his focus on people and teamwork,” said Jason Sowa, the school’s director of Clinical Placement Outreach.  “Having him in the room showed he wants to learn from us and support the school. It was also so great to see how the 2 to 5-year enterprise goals for the health system align so well with our goals.”

Holly Evans, senior assistant dean for finance and administration, pointed to the move to Aggie Square.

“We’re moving soon, and this kind of connection will help us partner across UC Davis,” she said. “It’s about better ideas, faster learning and stronger impact for the students and communities we serve.”

Rosenblatt closed by underscoring collaboration and shared purpose. He looks forward to continued visits and a listening tour in the months ahead.