Mark Lazenby

San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2025

‘Alarming paradox’: California needs thousands more nurses but lacks the capacity to train them

"As dean of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at UC Irvine, I witness an alarming paradox each year: Thousands of bright, motivated students apply to our undergraduate nursing program. Research shows that nurses who graduate with a bachelor of science degree receive more in-depth education in evidence-based practice, public health and leadership, leading to better patient outcomes, including lower mortality and fewer hospital-acquired infections. Yet only a handful can be admitted. … The capacity of these programs is constrained by funding." (Mark Lazenby)
San Francisco Chronicle, March 22, 2025

UC’s most competitive major has a 1% acceptance rate, and it’s not computer science

"“We’re even more selective than getting into Yale,” Mark Lazenby said of UC Irvine’s nursing school, where he’s the dean. … Lazenby, the dean, called on the state to invest more money not only in traditional nursing education, but also in the kind of research-intensive schooling that UC provides to its nursing students. All professors have doctorates and teach their students to interpret medical research or to become researchers themselves. Many students go on to graduate school and become hospital leaders." (Nanette Asimov)