ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 85
BY REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER
A RESOLUTION
To commend Janet Simmons Rami, Ph.D., R.N., upon her retirement as dean of the School
of Nursing at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Janet Rami graduated from Dillard University in 1970 with a bachelor
of science degree in nursing; she earned a master's degree in cross-cultural nursing from the
University of Southern Mississippi in 1979, and in 1992, she earned a Ph.D. from Louisiana
State University in research methodology; she also studied educational administration at
Harvard University; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Rami was named dean of the Southern University School of
Nursing in 1986; at the onset of her administration, thirty-six students were enrolled in the
bachelor of science in nursing program; during her tenure, more than two thousand students
have graduated from the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree nursing programs;
Southern University offers one of only two Ph.D. programs in nursing in the state of
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, in 2005, Dr. Rami was appointed to a five-year term on the National
Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice by U.S. Health and Human Services
Secretary Mike Leavitt and was an integral part of policymaking on nursing workforce,
education, and practice issues for the United States; she served on the health transition teams
of two Louisiana governors, and she is a member of Louisiana's Nurse Supply and Demand
Council; and
WHEREAS, on August 31, 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Dr. Rami
led an exceptionally rapid and efficient mobilization of resources needed for the operation
of the temporary shelter at Southern's F.G. Clark Activity Center; she also coordinated the
delivery of primary healthcare to hurricane evacuees through Southern's Mobile Family
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Health Center to Renaissance Village, one of the largest trailer villages in the state that
housed hurricane evacuees; Johnson and Johnson and NurseWeek Magazine named Dr. Rami
a "Nurse Hero for 2007" for her leadership in aiding Katrina evacuees; and
WHEREAS, in 2002, Dr. Rami was named Nursing School Administrator of the
Year by the Louisiana State Nurses Association, and in 2007 she was inducted into the
Nursing Hall of Fame by the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Louisiana State
Nurses Foundation; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting to honor Dr. Rami for thirty-six years of dedicated service
to the profession of nursing and to Southern University; she has been a visionary trailblazer
in her field and is nationally recognized for her success in educating minority students for
the health professions and for her leadership in providing access to health services for
underserved populations.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Janet Simmons Rami, Ph.D., R.N., upon her
retirement as dean of the School of Nursing at Southern University and does hereby
commend her for her dedicated service and tremendous contributions to the field of nursing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Dr. Janet S. Rami.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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