Former St. Joseph’s Health ICU Nurse Named Interim Dean of College of Nursing

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — St. Joseph’s Health is proud to announce that Dr. Susan Berger has been named interim Dean of the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing. Dr. Berger has deep connections to the College, having served on the governing board for the past seven years, and as the Chair since January. Her first nursing job when she moved to Syracuse, 40 years ago, was in the St. Joseph’s ICU.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Berger most recently served for 29 years as Director of Health Services at Cazenovia College, 15 of which she also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

“Dr. Berger brings with her a wealth of management experience in higher education,” said Leslie Paul Luke, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “We are confident that she will provide outstanding leadership and counsel to faculty, staff, and students, while we continue the search for a more permanent Dean.”

Dr. Berger is a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Nursing from Syracuse University, and received her Doctorate in Education, with a concentration in Higher Education Leadership, from Fielding Graduate University.

In addition to her time nursing at St. Joseph’s, Dr. Berger worked as a nurse at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, NY, and Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY. She has also worked as a Nurse Practitioner at Syracuse University.

As the interim Dean of St. Joseph’s College of Nursing, Dr. Berger will handle the daily management of the College, focus on faculty development, curriculum and shared governance design, and assist with the search for a more permanent Dean.

Dr. Berger has one grown daughter and lives in Cazenovia with her husband.

About St. Joseph’s Health

“St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in Syracuse to hold the LeapFrog ‘A’ safety rating, ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with St. Joseph’s Physicians, and is a member of Trinity Health.For more information, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy.”

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