This year's faculty inductees are Professor Susan B. Patton, DNSc, APRN, FAANP, Professor Linda A. Roussel, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, CNL, Associate Professor Karen L. Heaton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, and Visiting Professor Martha G. Lavender, PhD, RN. Alumni inducted this year are Cristina C. Hendrix, DNS, APRN, GNP BC, Associate Professor in the Duke University School of Nursing; Charles A. Downs, PhD, ACNP-BC, Assistant Professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University; Eileen R. Chasens, PhD, RN, Associate Professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing; Jane H. White, PhD, PMH-CNS, BC, Associate Dean in the Adelphi University College of Nursing and Public Health; and Kelly A. Wolgast, DNP, MSS, RN, FACHE, Assistant Professor in the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.
These nine are among 168 nurse leaders selected by the American Academy of Nursing for induction as Fellows during the Academy's 2015 Transforming Health, Driving Policy Conference on October 17, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The Academy comprises more than 2,200 nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. Academy Fellows include hospital and government administrators, college deans, and renowned scientific researchers. The Academy Fellows, with the addition of this newest class, represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 24 countries.
Selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and sponsorship by two current Academy Fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel comprised of elected and appointed Fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the extent the nominee's nursing career has influenced health policies and the health and wellbeing of all. New Fellows will be eligible to use the credentials FAAN (fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) after their induction in October.
Susan B. Patton, DNSc, APRN, FAANP, is a Professor in the UAB School of Nursing. Patton has taken leadership roles in professional nursing organizations to align practice, education, credentialing and regulation of forensic nursing. Her practice has included sexual assault evaluation and child death investigation in a medical examiner’s office. She developed the first Advanced Forensic Nursing DNP program at the University of Tennessee in 2002. She is former President of the Forensic Nurse Certification Board (FNCB) and current Chair of the ANCC Expert Panel for Forensic Nursing Credentialing. She is a political advocate for children, families and the role of nursing in quality health care.
Linda A. Roussel, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, CNL, is a Professor and DNP Program Director in the UAB School of Nursing. She is former President of the Forensic Nurse Certification Board (FNCB) and current Chair of the ANCC Expert Panel for Forensic Nursing Credentialing. She is a political advocate for children, families and the role of nursing in quality health care. Roussel earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 1990.
Karen L. Heaton, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, is an Associate Professor in the UAB School of Nursing. Heaton’s program of research is primarily focused on the effectsof sleep deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea on cognition and injury risk in workers. For example, she has been involved in projects that explored the impact of distraction and health issues on driving and driving performance issues among aging truck drivers, and self-assessment of driving performance compared to real-time simulated driving performance among truck drivers. Heaton earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 1981.
Martha G. Lavender, PhD, RN, is a Visiting Professor in the UAB School of Nursing. She currently serves as Interim President of Gadsden State Community College. Lavender is a national leader in nursing, higher education, and emergency preparedness. She is a former president of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nursing, and her work to develop policy for the advancement of nursing practice was recognized by receiving the organization’s highest honor, the Distinguished Professional Service Award. Lavender has co-authored publications on pandemic influenza, emergency preparedness training, and care models for HIV patients. She also serves as an advocate for abused children, emergency services, and maternal/child health. In 2013, she was inducted into the Alabama Nursing Hall of Fame. Lavender is a two-time graduate of the UAB School of Nursing, earning her Master of Science in Nursing in 1984 and her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing in 1988.
Cristina C. Hendrix, DNS, APRN, GNP BC, BC is an Associate Professor in the Duke University School of Nursing. Hendrix's program research focuses on developing interventions to support the family caregivers of chronically ill patients. She is presently funded by the NIH-National Institute of Nursing Research to investigate the effects of an individualized, experiential training about home care for family caregivers given before hospital discharge of their loved ones suffering from cancer. Dr. Hendrix is also a nurse investigator at the Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the Durham VA. She has been selected to serve on the Nursing Research Advisory Group (NRAG) of the Department of Veterans Health Affairs, Office of Nursing Services. Dr. Hendrix and her VA Transitional Care Partners team were one of the 10 recipients of the 2012 VA Office of Nursing Services Innovations Award, a national award mechanism that recognizes nursing leadership in quality improvement. Hendrix earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 1996.
Charles A. Downs, PhD, ACNP-BC is Assistant Professor in the Emory Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. Downs is an acute care nurse practitioner specializing in pulmonary and critical care medicine. His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular responses of the lung to injury. In 2011, he received the Patsy A. Perry Biological Nursing Research Award from the Western Institute of Nursing Research. Prior to joining Emory, he served as a postdoctoral fellow in the departments of Physiology and Pediatrics at Emory's School of Medicine. Downs is a two-time graduate of the UAB School of Nursing, earning his Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing in 1999 and his Master of Science in Nursing in 2003.
Eileen R. Chasens, PhD, RN, is Associate Professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the effect of sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness on management of chronic disease. More specifically, she tests the efficacy of treatment of sleep disorders on the ability of persons with type 2 diabetes to integrate diabetes education into their daily behavior. She teaches evidence-based research classes to the undergraduate students and to the master’s level students. Chasens also guest lectures in courses taught at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral level in the School of Nursing and in interdisciplinary courses within the schools of health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. Chasens earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 2000.
Jane H. White, PhD, PMH-CNS, BC, Associate Dean in the Adelphi University College of Nursing and Public Health. White has demonstrated a commitment to the advancement of psychiatric-mental health nursing in the areas of practice, education, research and policy. As the first executive director of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, she established their national office. In this position, she developed significant programs for the education of its members, increased membership and collaborations with other mental health organizations. Since joining Adelphi in 2005, she developed the Ph.D. program, and now mentors faculty in their research and chairs several dissertation committees. White earned her Master’s of Science in Nursing from the UAB School of Nursing in 1977.
Kelly A. Wolgast, DNP, MSS, RN, FACHE, is Assistant Professor in the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Prior to arriving at Vanderbilt in August 2011, she served 26 years on Active Duty in the United States Army as an Army Nurse and retired as a Colonel. Her experiences include earning the Bronze Star for combat experience as Deputy Commander and Chief Nurse in Afghanistan, a deployment in support of Hurricane Katrina relief operations in New Orleans, serving as a Hospital Commander, and serving as the Senior Nurse Executive of the US Army Medical Command. Kelly has many years of executive nursing and healthcare leadership experience and has a strong background in Medical-Surgical Nursing. Kelly earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (Executive Nurse Leadership) from the UAB School of Nursing. Wolgast earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the UAB School of Nursing in 2012.
The American Academy of Nursing serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. The Academy's more than 2,200 fellows are nursing's most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice, and research. They have been recognized for their extraordinary contributions to nursing and health care.
