Laurie Badzek, dean of the College of Nursing at Penn State, has been selected to receive the American Nurses Association’s Leadership in Ethics Award. The award was created to recognize a registered nurse who has authentically demonstrated the highest standards of ethics and leadership in their daily practice, served as an ethical role model, and promoted ethical dialogue and scholarship.
Dean Badzek assumed her current role as dean of the College of Nursing in July 2018. She oversees the undergraduate and graduate programs at 12 Penn State campuses and online.
Dean Badzek’s commitment to ethical leadership led her to serve as director of the American Nurses Association Center for Ethics and Human Rights. There, she was instrumental in revising the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses.
Badzek received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in nursing from DePaul University in Chicago. She also earned a juris doctor from West Virginia University and a postgraduate law degree with a focus on health law, policy, and ethics from DePaul University.