Academic Enterprise Announcements


Martina Raquel Gallagher on a teal banner with a dark teal text box reading "New AE Leadership Announcement"

Gallagher Named Chair, Undergraduate Studies, SON

A Message from the Senior VP and Dean, School of Nursing, and Chief Integration Officer, UTMB, and the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs

Dear UTMB School of Nursing Community,

We are delighted to announce that Martina Raquel Gallagher, PhD, MSN, PMHNP-BC, RN, will join the UTMB School of Nursing as Chair of the Department of Undergraduate Studies, effective June 16, 2025.

Dr. Gallagher is a dedicated educator, empathetic psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, and inquisitive nurse scientist. Her career reflects a deep commitment to delivering engaging education, providing high-quality, patient-centered care, and advancing nursing practice through scientific inquiry.

She joins UTMB from the Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston, where she taught a wide range of courses including adult health, psychiatric nursing, community health nursing, and nursing research. Her leadership roles at Cizik SON included Director of Global Health, Coordinator of the Honors Program and most recently, she served as Interim Assistant Director of Education and Research at the UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus.

With over 30 years of experience in nursing, Dr. Gallagher began her career after earning a diploma in nursing from the Baptist Health System School of Health Professions in San Antonio in 1990. She was later selected for the Early Master’s Program at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, earning a BSN and an MSN in Community and Health Care Systems Administration, with minors in Nursing Education and Informatics. She completed a PhD in Clinical Nursing Research, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in women’s health nursing research at the University of Washington. Clinically, Dr. Gallagher has served in emergency, interventional radiology, case management, and psychiatric nursing roles.

An innovative educator, Dr. Gallagher is known for experiential teaching strategies. A notable example is Tangology—a creative use of Argentine tango to teach leadership and followership to interprofessional students in the Summer Health Professions Education Program, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She received the Southern Nursing Excellence Award for Teaching in recognition of her innovative pedagogy.

Motivated by the increasing demand for mental health services, Dr. Gallagher earned a post-master’s certificate as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner in 2019 and currently provides care via telehealth. Her experience in this area led to her appointment to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) Telemental Health Task Force, where she contributed to the development of the 2022 APNA Telemental Health Toolkit.

Dr. Gallagher’s research initially focused on the health of Latino women and their preschool children. Her NINR-funded dissertation explored child health-promoting practices among Latino mothers, and during her postdoctoral work, she examined the impact of sleep on health using objective tools such as actigraphy. At Cizik SON, she led Comadres de Salud ("Kindred Sisters in Health"), a community-based intervention promoting healthy lifestyle adherence through sleep hygiene. Her scholarly work includes more than 100 publications and presentations. She has also held national leadership positions, including service on the PCORI Advisory Panel on Addressing Disparities and as Diversity Section Chair of The Obesity Society. Her current research centers on the integration of artificial intelligence in nursing education and strategies to support patients during psychiatric medication deprescribing. She was recently selected to participate in the prestigious AI for Good Institute at Stanford University.

Colleagues and students describe Dr. Gallagher as authentic, approachable, and deeply committed to excellence. Patients commend her kindness, collaboration, and attentiveness. Beyond her professional work, she enjoys visiting art exhibitions, watercolor painting, reading mystery novels, learning new languages, and walking with her dog, Chloe.

Dr. Gallagher is excited to join the UTMB School of Nursing and looks forward to engaging with our students, faculty, and staff. Please join us in extending a warm and heartfelt welcome to Dr. Gallagher as she begins this new chapter with our community!

Sincerely,

Deborah J. Jones, PhD, MSN, RN, FAAN
Senior Vice President and Dean, School of Nursing
Chief Integration Officer
Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair

Kristen Starnes-Ott, PhD, BS, CRNA, FAANA, FNAP
Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor
Betty P. Akins Endowed Chair in Nursing

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