PROVIDENCE - The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) has announced the appointment of Lori Keough, Ph.D., M.Ed., FNP-BC as State Director of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education for the department. In her new role, Keough will provide administrative support and direction in enforcing state laws and regulations regarding the licensing and discipline of registered nurses, practical nurses, registered nurse practitioners, certified nurse anesthetists and midwives throughout Rhode Island.
"It's my pleasure to welcome Lori Keough to the Department of Health," said Michael Fine, MD, director of HEALTH. "I know that Rhode Island's nursing profession and its Board of Nursing are in capable hands. I look forward to Lori's leadership in this role."
In addition to serving as Executive Secretary to the state's Board of Nursing, Keough is also charged with managing the adjudication of professional complaints against nurses, overseeing disciplinary actions and providing direction to the state's schools of nursing regarding nursing education and approval of nursing programs.
Keough is currently a post-doctoral Fellow in health disparities at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, as well as an assistant professor of community health nursing at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. She also works as a nurse practitioner at Childrens Hospital in Boston.
Keough earned a Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts-Worcester, a master's degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a master's degree in education and a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Rhode Island College, and associate's degrees in both nursing and business administration from the Community College of Rhode Island. She lives in Seekonk, MA.
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