Strout named Interim Associate Dean of Health Science

A portrait of Associate Dean Strout. She wears a blue blazer and has curly brown hair. She wears glasses and is smiling at the camera.Kelley Strout has been named interim associate dean of health sciences of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture at the University of Maine for the Spring 2022 semester.  She will retain her director and associate professor position at the School of Nursing, continuing her research and teaching. 

Strout, a member of the UMaine community since 2015, is stepping into a new role that Dean Diane Rowland created to tackle specific initiatives in  the health science programs within the college, UMaine, Maine and beyond. 

“Her ability to identify and maximize opportunities in health science academic programs and their connection to workforce development in the state will help immensely in the college’s charge,” Rowland says.  

“I believe with her experience in identifying administrative support structures in the health professions that she will be a positive support to our administration.”

Strout will provide strategic direction for health profession education and research programs within and outside the college. She will also seek opportunities to enhance the productivity and reputation of health, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary science research. Strout will also draw from her past experience as a program evaluator to identify administrative support structures to further elevate health science education, research and community engagement

Strout’s clinical career and research focus on behavioral and non-pharmacological approaches to promote health and well-being in older adults. She recently led the efforts to secure grants for projects to reduce burnout and increase diversity in Maine’s healthcare workforce.

Prior to joining UMaine’s faculty, Strout was Coordinator of Assessment and Program Evaluation and an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of New England. She earned her doctorate at Northeastern University, and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maine.