Rose Marie Chioni, former dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia, died on February 6 in Charlottesville. She was 81 years old.
A native of LaSalle, Illinois, Dr. Chioni earned her nursing diploma at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria. She went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Chioni earned a master’s degree at the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
Before joining the faculty at the University of Virginia in 1974, Dr. Chioni taught at Wayne State University in Detroit, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison. At the University of Virginia, she served as dean for 14 years from 1974 to 1988. After stepping down as dean, she continued to teach and remained on the faculty until 1995 when she retired. Dr. Chioni served as president of the Virginia State Board of Nursing and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
Dorrie Fontaine, dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia, stated, “Dr. Chioni was a nurse’s nurse, a true leader, and she will be missed.”