The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) will officially name four distinguished experts as Honorary Fellows at the Academy’s Transforming Health, Driving Policy virtual conference, to be held October 29-31, 2020. Noteworthy within their fields, these exceptional individuals have demonstrated extraordinary and sustained contributions to nursing and health care throughout their career.
“This year has been significantly challenging as the coronavirus pandemic continues to have a devastating impact globally. However, the interdisciplinary approaches to resolving this crisis and the support of the nursing profession from accomplished leaders such as these individuals point towards a healthier future,” said Academy President Eileen Sullivan-Marx, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The Academy is proud to recognize these diverse visionaries as Honorary Fellows who, have made vital contributions to improve the public’s health and raise the awareness of nursing in the face of continued uncertainty.”
This distinction is only given to top health leaders who have demonstrated a firm commitment to nursing and to transforming health policy. Each individual selected for this recognition is a true champion of science, innovation, and leadership – signature initiatives of the Academy.
Lord Nigel Crisp, an independent crossbench member of the United Kingdom’s (UK) House of Lords, is a distinguished expert in global health who founded and co-chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health. During his tenure as Chief Executive of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), the largest health organization in the world with 1.4 million employees, Lord Crisp led many reforms that resulted in significant cost savings and care improvements within NHS. He has worked extensively to improve health outcomes throughout the world and recently founded the Nursing Now global campaign to raise the profile and status of the nursing profession. His international collaboration with the World Health Organization, International Confederation of Midwives, International Council of Nurses, and the United Nations Population Fund has led to the designation of 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. As of June 2020, Nursing Now had enrolled over 700 groups in 122 countries around the world with almost 30,000 early career nurses and midwives enrolled in the Nightingale Challenge, designed to enhance leadership capacity through professional development opportunities.
Karen Donelan, ScD, EdM, is a leading health policy and health services survey researcher who was recently appointed as the inaugural Stuart H. Altman Professor of US Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. Throughout her career, Dr. Donelan has led and participated in interprofessional, interdisciplinary research, which has helped to positively shape the public perception of nursing and build workforce capacity to help mitigate nurse shortages. Her prolific efforts to produce pivotal surveys and publications continue to highlight the critical work of nurses and their positive impact on patient outcomes, in particular for diverse and vulnerable populations, in various settings. A co-founder of the Harvard Opinion Research Program with Dr. Robert Blendon, her pioneering research was instrumental in developing national standards for the measurement of clinician and hospital adoption of electronic health records. Dr. Donelan’s work with the Johnson and Johnson Campaign for Nursing’s Future, along with her many publications, has dramatically improved nursing and nursing practice environments.
Anthony Fauci, MD, who serves as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, one of the 27 institutes and centers within the National Institutes of Health, is a renowned public health authority who has gained national acclaim for his steadying role within the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force and his leadership during one of the gravest health emergencies our nation and the world has ever faced. Dr. Fauci’s extensive research portfolio includes research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, and malaria as well as emerging diseases such as Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. Advising six presidents during his tenure, Dr. Fauci was a principal architect of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has saved millions of lives throughout the developing world. His seminal contributions to understanding how HIV destroys the body’s defenses and developing treatments has enabled countless individuals with HIV to lead long and active lives. In all aspects of his storied career, Dr. Fauci has wholeheartedly dedicated himself to furthering better health outcomes and preventing disease.
Ahrin Mishan, MPA, MAVA, as the Executive Director of the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, has transformed the philanthropic foundation to a nationally-recognized institution with multiple grant initiatives aimed at advancing nurse-driven innovation. In his decade at the Foundation, Mr. Mishan led the creation of the Hillman Scholars Program in Nursing Innovation, an integrated BSN to PhD program designed to produce the next generation of innovative nurse leaders, which has been modeled by other foundations throughout the country. Most critically, the Foundation has expanded its grant programs with a focus on innovative ways to serve the economically disadvantaged, racially and ethnically underserved groups, LGBTQ communities, rural populations, people experiencing homelessness, and other vulnerable populations. His dedication to the advancement of nurses and to the education of nurse innovators has created a long-lasting impact on the health care system. With support from the Foundation, Mr. Mishan has uniquely challenged nurses in practice and education to drive changes in health care through innovation and design.
About the American Academy of Nursing
The American Academy of Nursing serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 2,700 Fellows, the Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
