Kathleen Dracup, RN, FNP, PhD, FAAN is Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing. Dr. Dracup earned a PhD from the University of California, San Francisco, a Master of Nursing degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from St. Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois.

A member of the Institute of Medicine, she is a leader in the field of cardiovascular nursing; she has been an influential mentor for cardiovascular clinical researchers for the past three decades. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her investigation in the care of patients with heart disease and the effects of this disease on spouses and other family members.

She has tested a variety of interventions designed to reduce the emotional distress experienced by cardiac patients and their family members and to reduce patient mortality. Her most recent research has been in the heart failure population, focusing on interventions to improve self-care and health-related quality of life and reduce morbidity and mortality.

Dr. Dracup has published her research in more than 400 articles, chapters and books. She served as the editor of Heart & Lung for over a decade and as the co-editor of the American Journal of Critical Care from 1992 until 2009.

I