India-born scientist Kavita Radhakrishnan takes charge as fifth dean of University of Texas nursing school

India-born scientist Kavita Radhakrishnan has been named the fifth dean of the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, the university has announced.

Radhakrishnan took charge as dean on September 1, after serving as interim dean since March 6. She has been a faculty member at the university since 2012 and holds the Laura Lee Blanton Chair in Nursing.

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“We are entering a defining era for nursing,” Radhakrishnan said. “Higher education, health care and technology are transforming at an extraordinary pace, bringing challenges -- but also unprecedented opportunities to reimagine how we educate, discover, care and lead,” she added.

William Inboden, executive vice president and provost at UT Austin, said Radhakrishnan’s appointment comes as the university expands its academic health enterprise.

“The School of Nursing is indispensable to UT's growing academic health enterprise, and Dr Radhakrishnan is the right leader for this important moment of growth,” he said.

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"Her leadership and vision will build on the School’s strengths in education, research and patient care as we expand UT’s impact across Texas and beyond,” Inboden added.

From electronics engineering to nursing

Born and raised in India, Radhakrishnan began her academic journey in electronics engineering. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Mumbai before moving to the US for higher studies.

She later moved into nursing after volunteering at a hospital in Boston. The experience drew her to the analytical and problem-solving side of nursing and the role technology could play in supporting patients and healthcare workers.

Her research focuses on using technology to help people manage chronic diseases and support older adults in staying healthy and independent at home and in their communities.

Her work has covered telemonitoring, connected sensors, digital gaming and artificial intelligence for cardiovascular disease self-management.

Radhakrishnan has published more than 65 research articles and received more than USD 10 million in research funding from agencies including the National Institutes of Health and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.