FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Maura Daly Iversen, a physical therapist and behavioral scientist/clinical epidemiologist with a primary focus in rheumatology, is the new dean of Sacred Heart University’s College of Health Professions. Iversen previously served as associate dean of Northeastern University’s Bouvé College of Health Sciences in Boston.
“I was attracted to SHU for its dedication to social justice, experiential and interprofessional learning, and exceptional teaching technology,” Iversen said. “Having worked at a number of other academic institutions, I found SHU’s Center for Healthcare Education has the most advanced teaching technology I have ever seen. The faculty is dedicated to promoting excellence in patient care, patient advocacy and interprofessional team communication. They exemplify these attributes in their clinical work, teaching and scholarship.”
Iversen said the SHU community is one that fosters personal growth. “Sacred Heart is ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the top 10 universities in the country with the happiest students. Additionally, SHU is nimble and keeps abreast of new innovations in all areas, including business, engineering and health care” she said.
Iversen said she’s looking forward to working with SHU’s great faculty team and students, and she’s excited to create new academic programs that build on the University’s momentum.
Looking toward the future, Iversen said she would “love to continue to promote excellence in academic offerings and build new programming through collaborative work with the deans and faculty.
“I am also interested in promoting and supporting faculty and student research to contribute to the evidence base for health-care interventions,” Iversen said. “Additionally, I look forward to creating student scholarships and faculty grant funding opportunities.”
At Northeastern, Iversen was also a professor of physical therapy, movement and rehabilitation and an affiliate faculty of engineering. She holds appointments as a senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School; a foreign professor in the department of women’s and children’s health at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; a visiting scholar at Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore; and affiliated faculty for the department of medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and University of Texas, Arlington.
Prior to her role as associate dean, Iversen served as chair of physical therapy, movement and rehabilitation sciences for eight years and as an associate chair of physical therapy at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston for five years. She has completed academic leadership training from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, the HERS (Higher Education Leadership) Institute and ACE academic leadership programs.
“Dr. Iversen’s combination of clinical, research and classroom experience, along with a strong commitment to social responsibility, will allow her to contribute positively to the success of our strategic plan, our mission and our goals,” said Rupendra Paliwal, provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Iversen earned a bachelor’s certificate in physical therapy from Simmons College, a doctor of physical therapy from MGH Institute of Health Professions, a master’s degree in public health from Boston University School of Public Health and a doctorate in health and social behavior from Harvard University, School of Public Health. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in clinical epidemiology in Harvard Medical School’s department of medicine. Iversen was a 2016-17 U.S. Fulbright Research Scholar and has won numerous awards for advocacy, teaching and research. In November, she received the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Professionals Lifetime Achievement Award, the American College of Rheumatology’s highest honor for a health professional. Iverson is also a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the highest honor for physical therapists and she is a research fellow in the National Academies of Practice, an inter-professional organization of physicians, dentists and health professions.
###
About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s eight colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 385 Colleges–2020 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best 252 Business Schools–2019 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu