Linda D. Scott

Nurse, nursing professor, and academic administrator Linda D. Scott was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Frances and Robert Scott. She received her B.S. degree in nursing in 1979 from Michigan State University, in East Lansing, her M.S. degree in nursing administration and pediatrics in 1995 from the Grand Valley State University (GVSU) Kirkhof College of Nursing, in Allendale, Michigan, and her Ph.D. degree in nursing administration and healthcare systems in 1999 from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Scott completed a post-doctoral experience in 2000 at the National Institute of Nursing Research’s Nurse Science Development Program, in Bethesda, Maryland.

From 1979 to 1986, Scott served as a level-one clinical nurse in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit at Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CHMC) in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1986, she became manager of patient services in the nursing administration at CHMC. Scott served as a level-two clinical nurse within the Cardiac Care Unit at CHMC from 1988 to 1991, when she became the clinical manager of the Post Anesthesia Care Unit/Pre-Surgical Testing at the Borgess Medical Center, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After receiving her master’s degree, in 1995, she joined the Kirkhof College of Nursing at GVSU as an adjunct faculty member and research assistant, becoming assistant professor in 1998. In 2001, Scott was promoted to associate professor and received tenure. Scott became director of the undergraduate program the Kirkhof College of Nursing in 2005 and full professor in 2007. In 2009, she became the Kirkhof College of Nursing’s associate dean for graduate programs. In 2012, Scott became associate professor of health systems science, associate dean for academic affairs, and director of graduate studies, Ph.D. studies, and urban health at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In 2016, Scott became a professor and the dean of the School of Nursing & Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Scott has served in numerous organizations, including as president-elect and board member of the American Academy of Nursing, associate editor of Nursing Outlook, and in various capacities at the American Academy of Nursing, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, the Taskforce for Nursing Practice of the Michigan Department of Community Health, the Midwest Nursing Research Society, the Registered Nurses Association in Michigan, and the American Nurses Association.

Scott’s many honors and awards include Fellow in the National Academies of Practice – Nursing, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Pioneering Spirit Award, the GVSU Distinguished Alumni Award, the Glenn A. Niemeyer Outstanding Faculty Award, Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau Excellence in Nursing Research, the MNRS Health Systems and Policy Distinguished Researcher Award, the American Academy of Nursing Johnson & Johnson Media Award, the GVSU Outstanding Teacher Award, the Julia Hardy/American Nurses Foundation Scholar Award, and the Pew Excellence in Teaching Award.

Scott lives in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Linda D. Scott was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 29, 2022.