Nursing Student listening to heart beat
Nursing, MSN

Faculty

Our talented and competent faculty bring various life experiences and educational backgrounds to the classroom and beyond. 

For complete profiles, please click on the faculty's name.

Program Director

Dr. Silvinia Gonzalez Cuizon is a nurse leader, educator, and researcher whose scholarship centers on health equity, patient experience, and communication with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Her PhD research explored the care experiences of Spanish-speaking patients with chronic illness, contributing to a deeper understanding of structural barriers and culturally responsive care.

She serves as Program Director and faculty in the RN-MSN Clinical Nurse Leader program at the...

Education:
  • University of San Diego, PhD in Nursing Executive Leadership, 2021
  • University of San Diego, MS in Nursing Executive Leadership, 2018
  • Antillian Adventist University, BS in Nursing, 2013
  • Andrews...
Expertise:
  • Healthcare equity and systems-level change
  • Health policy implementation and regulatory alignment
  • Organizational change management
Cowell Hall 250

Dr. Horton-Deutsch is currently the Director of the University of San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Partnership. She has led in academic and practice settings for 35 years as an advanced practice psychiatric/mental health nurse, teacher/practitioner, consultant, program director, caring science endowed chair, coach, and academic/practice partnership director. Through her academic and practice career, she has contributed to evidence-informed knowledge development to ensure safety and quality...

Education:
  • Rush University, PhD in Nursing, 1992
  • Rush University, MSN in Psych Nursing, 1988
  • University of Evansville, BSN in Nursing, 1986
Expertise:
  • Reflective practice
  • Caring science
  • Leadership
  • Holistic health
Cowell Hall 307

Dr. Ann Lawani received her PhD in nursing from the University of San Diego. Her unique professional background includes small business accounting, clinical nursing practice and leadership. She is a practicing registered nurse; her clinical experience entails adult cardio-pulmonary, stroke, Cystic Fibrosis and orthopedic patient populations across multiple health care settings, including acute care and hospice facilities. A scholar and life-long learner, Dr. Lawani’s area of research includes...

Education:
  • PhD in Nursing, University of San Diego
  • Graduate Certificate, Leadership and Administration in Hospice and Palliative Care, University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • Master of Science in Nursing-Clinical...
Expertise:
  • Palliative Care and Healthcare Utilization
  • Hospice and End-of-Life Transitions

Full-Time Faculty

Cowell Hall 224

Dr. Kaddoura PhD, CAGS, MSN, APRN, NP-C, CNE, has over 25 years of experience in nursing education and clinical practice. He currently teaches graduate Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Medical Surgical courses in the Master and Doctorate programs.

Prior to joining USF, Dr. Kaddoura taught both graduate and undergraduate courses at Duke University and MCPHS University (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences). His expertise in using technology and designing innovative...

Education:
  • University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, Post Doctoral Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate, 2019
  • University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA, Post-Master's Adult and...
Expertise:
  • Academic education
  • Primary care nurse partitioning
  • Family psychiatric mental health nurse partitioning
  • Academic and clinical leadership 
  • Nursing Management supervision

Part-Time Faculty

Nicole Beamish is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Having earned both her Master of Science degree in Nursing and Doctor of Nursing degree at USF, she has taught both BSN and MSN clinical nursing courses, as well as MSN capstone project courses. 

Her clinical interests include OBGYN, maternal-child health, and public health. She has spent the majority of her nursing career working as a registered nurse in critical care, medical-surgical care, and...

Education:
  • University of San Francisco, DNP Family Nurse Practitioner, 2020
  • University of San Francisco, MSN Clinical Nurse Leader, 2017
  • Colorado Technical University, BS Healthcare Management, 2013
Expertise:
  • Diabetes management
  • Continuous glucose monitoring
  • EHR and AI integration
  • Pregnancy-related complications
  • Acute care

Lynda entered nursing because of her passion for experiencing diverse cultures and her interest in global health. Through summer internships during her BSN program — first with Crossroads Africa and then in Harlan, Kentucky — she gained experience serving communities with rich histories and cultures. She found her calling.

Early in her career, she worked with the International Rescue Committee in Thailand, assisting Cambodian refugees, a life-changing experience. At the San Francisco Unified...

Education:
  • Johns Hopkins University, MPH in International Health, 1980
  • Columbia University, BSN in Nursing, 1977
Expertise:
  • Adolescent immunizations 
  • Oral health and impact on systemic health
  • Global health opportunities for nurses

Gary Michael Lose Cheshire, MBA, BSN, RN, CMSRN, is an experienced nurse educator and healthcare leader with expertise in medical-surgical, telemetry, progressive care, psychiatry, public health, day surgery, and community-based nursing. He began his nursing career after earning his Associate of Science in Nursing from the University of Alaska Anchorage (2016), followed by a BSN (2019) and MBA (2021) from Western Governors University. He is pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing with an...

Education:
  • Western Governors University, Master of Science in Nursing Education, 2025
  • Western Governors University, Master of Business Administration, 2021
  • Western Governors University, Bachelor of Science...
Expertise:
  • Medical-surgical nursing
  • Psychiatric and mental health
  • Nursing leadership
  • Nursing education
  • Quality improvement/risk management
Orange County, CA Campus

Timothy S. Godfrey, S.J., DNP, RN, PHN is a Jesuit priest and has been on the faculty of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco since 2012. Dr. Godfrey received his doctoral degree at The Catholic University of America, and he holds advanced degrees in theology from The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, as well as an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Fr. Godfrey has taught community health nursing, ethics, and social...

Education:
  • The Catholic University of America, Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Health Policy and Ethics, 2012
  • The Catholic University of America, DNP, 2011
  • The Catholic University of America, MSN, 2010
  • Saint...
Expertise:
  • Nursing ethics
  • Public health nursing
  • Health policy

Scout Hebinck has been an adjunct professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco for the past 10 years. Having spent her early years in the emergency department, she then moved on to focus on maternal and pediatric care. While Scout developed a keen interest in educating nurses throughout her career, she saw the importance of empowering them to understand their direct effect on patient outcomes. 

Her key areas of work and research focus on...

Education:
  • Western Governors University, Master's Nursing Science and Education
  • Western Governors University, Bachelor's Nursing Science
  • Oklahoma State University, Associate's Nursing
Expertise:
  • Quality improvement & patient safety
  • Perioperative
  • Pediatrics
  • Maternal health
  • Emergency medicine
     

Michael Ng is a part-time adjunct faculty member in the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco, where he teaches both undergraduate and master’s entry nursing students. In addition to his teaching role, he works full-time as a nurse practitioner on the general surgery service at a major hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of San Francisco in 2019 and his Master of Science with a...

Education:
  • UCSF, MS Acute Care Nurse Practicioner, 2024
  • University of San Francisco, BSN, 2019
Expertise:
  • Med-surg nursing
  • Medical oncology nursing
  • General surgery

Faculty Emeritus

Cowell Hall 222

Dr. Robin Buccheri is a Professor Emerita and Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco (USF) in San Francisco. In 2010, she was admitted as a fellow to the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Buccheri has published over twenty-five articles in scholarly journals and is on the Editorial Board for Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. She has received the School of Nursing & Health Professions Teaching Award, the University of San Francisco Research Award, and twice...

Education:
  • PhD, University of California, San Francisco
  • MHNP, California State University, Long Beach
  • MSN, California State University, Long Beach
  • ADN, El Camino College
  • BSN, California State University...