Our Leadership

The Dean

Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN, was appointed as the 8th dean of the UCLA School of Nursing in 2021. Prior to joining UCLA, Dr. Zhan served as the dean for the University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing for nearly 11 years as the chief academic officer for the college’s programs across two campuses in Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee. Prior to her Memphis Loewenberg College appointment, Dr. Zhan served as the founding dean for the school of nursing at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, where she had oversight across three campuses in Boston, Worcester, and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Dr. Zhan’s research and scholarly work has focused on improving the health of vulnerable populations, as well as on higher education and nursing workforce development. Her work has led to the development of reliable and valid measures/instruments for health-related behaviors, such as the “Self-Consistency Scale”, “Adverse Childhood Experiences Knowledge Scale”, and the “Cognitive Adaptation Processing Scale”. Dr. Zhan has published more than 100 articles, edited six books, and has secured millions of dollars in grant funding. She is frequently invited for keynote speeches and professional presentations nationally and globally.

In 2001, Dr. Zhan was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing for her contributions to improving health for all people. Since that time, she has served on the Academy’s expert panel on aging and global health, the fellow selection committee, including international fellow selection committee. Dr. Zhan has served for 8 years on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Board of Directors as a member and Treasurer, as well as serving on the AACN New Essentials Leadership Team, Nominating Committee, Faculty Development Committee, and Executive Development Committee. Dr. Zhan also served as on the Board for National Clinical Scholars Program (2022-present), and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gerontological Nursing and the Journal of Aging and Geriatric Medicine. 

In 2020, she was named as one of the “Visionaries in Geriatric Nursing” in the Journal of Geriatric Nursing. In 2023, Dr. Zhan was invited to serve as a mentor for the global women leadership development program. And in 2024, in conjunction with UCLA’s transition to the Big Ten, Dr. Zhan was invited to be part of the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), representing nursing across the country.

Associate Dean of Student Affairs

Liz Yzquierdo, MPH, Ed.D., works collaboratively across the school to lead and coordinate several units that support, provide and promote student access, retention, degree completion, and career development. She works with a dynamic team that includes Student Affairs, Recruitment, Outreach & Admissions, and Financial Services.

Associate Dean of Research & Innovation

Dong Sung An, MD, PhD, was appointed to Associate Dean of Research & Innovation in September 2023. His vision for this role is to support faculty members scholarly work with trust by ensuring best practices in the oversight and management of funded research projects and by leading new initiatives to enhance the research and career development of our faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students. 

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Barbara Bates-Jensen, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been with UCLA for more than 20 years. In her leadership role, she hopes to be a catalyst for excellence in the School of Nursing by creating a culture of openness, transparency, and inclusive communication where all students, staff, and faculty voices are heard, along with actively engaged teamwork and collaboration that empowers faculty to thrive in their roles as educators and mentors for nursing professionals.

Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Nalo Hamilton, PhD, MSN, APRN-BC, joined UCLA Nursing in 2010. As Associate Dean for EDI, she fosters a culture where everyone in the UCLA Nursing community is valued, supported, and empowered to achieve their highest personal and professional goals.

Assistant Dean & Chief Nursing Executive, UCLA Health

Karen Grimley, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, FACHE, NEA-BC, serves as assistant dean within the School of Nursing and is the Chief Nursing Executive for UCLA Health. In that role she is responsible for the overall delivery and management of patient care and professional nursing practice, clinical education, professional development, research and clinical services.

Chief Financial Officer

Hector Arguello is the School of Nursing's Chief Financial Officer, responsible for managing the school's resources according to UCLA's financial policies and guidelines. As CFO, Arguello provides accurate and reliable financial information to the Dean and the School's executive committee, which allows the school to formulate short-term and long-term financial goals. The CFO works closely with the Dean and the SON executive committee to identify savings by utilizing the principle of cost effectiveness. Arguello also works to identify new revenue streams in collaboration with the Dean.