Rate My Professor Susan Zahner

Susan J. Zahner, DrPH, RN, FNAP, FAAN, is Interim Dean and Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a role she assumed on November 30, 2025, following her retirement in 2024 after 24 years on the faculty. She began at the School of Nursing in 2000 as an assistant professor and later served as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, providing leadership on faculty programs and processes. With over 40 years of experience in public health, nursing, and academic leadership, Zahner previously worked as Public Health Nursing Supervisor and Director of Public Health Nursing for Public Health Madison & Dane County, where she initiated the Dane County Immunization Coalition. She earned her DrPH in Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley in 2000, MPH in Public Health Nursing from the University of Minnesota in 1983, and BS in Nursing from the University of Iowa in 1977. She holds an affiliate appointment in the School of Medicine and Public Health and mentors PhD, DNP, MPH, and master’s students.

Dr. Zahner’s research aims to improve public health practice through advancing workforce development and evidence for public health system improvement. She founded and co-directs the Wisconsin Public Health Research Network, linking public health professionals and researchers, and leads a team developing and evaluating the national online New to Public Health Residency Program for early-career professionals. Other contributions include directing the Linking Education and Practice in Public Health Nursing (LEAP) project from 2006 to 2012, the Badger Nurses Collaborating on Covid-19 Vaccine Education and Delivery (BN-CoVED) initiative in 2021, and the Translating Evidence to Practice in Public Health (TEP-PH) internship since 2013. Key publications include "Multisector partnerships in population health improvement" (2010), "Local public health system partnerships" (2005), "The impact of web-delivered education on preceptor role self-efficacy and knowledge in public health nurses" (2011), "A critical gap: Advanced practice nurses focused on the public's health" (2021), and "Policy brief on climate change and mental health/well-being" (2020). She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academies of Practice (Nursing), and received the 2023 Carol Graham Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wisconsin Public Health Association.