Welcome From Dean Waite

Dear Prospective and Current Students, Alumni, Friends and Supporters:

It is my great honor to serve as Dean of the Berkley School of Nursing at Georgetown University!

Nursing is a profession rooted in the care of individuals, families and communities — one that embraces a biopsychosocial approach to promote well-being and enables people to thrive and flourish in life. This care occurs in clinical practice and extends far beyond this context. Nurses are change agents in health systems, policy, research, education, entrepreneurship and more. Grounded in social justice, nursing is driven by a commitment to enact the changes necessary to optimize the health and humanity of all people.

We are in a watershed moment. Increasingly, people are recognizing the longstanding injustices that have been normalized and that prevent individuals and communities from realizing their full potential. At the Berkley School of Nursing, we are committed to preparing the next generation of nurses to confront these challenges head-on. Our mission centers on cultivating leaders who possess structural competence, embrace equity, and champion social justice.

We encourage students to think critically about the root causes of health inequities while also fostering their imagination and creativity to become solution-oriented. Our students deeply value the lives and dignity of individuals, families and communities — and they understand how these values can catalyze meaningful change when working to dismantle barriers to optimal health.

Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., Georgetown offers our students unparalleled opportunities to engage locally, nationally and globally. Our Hilltop and Capitol campuses provide rich interprofessional and policy-focused learning experiences, preparing graduates to confidently navigate diverse contexts and populations across the lifespan.

At the Berkley School of Nursing, we foster a culture where innovation is not just welcomed — it is expected and celebrated. We are bold in our vision, rooted in our Jesuit values, and committed to nurturing mind, body and spirit. Together, we strive to create an academic destination unlike any other — one that advances the nursing profession and improves the human condition, especially for those who have been intentionally marginalized.

My guiding belief is that we must lead with beneficence in all we do — not simply avoid harm, but actively pursue the good.

Roberta Waite, EdD, RN, PMHCNS, ANEF, FADLN, FAAN
Dean