One faculty member and two University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing alumni have been named inaugural Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), a reflection of their contributions in the areas of clinical practice, education, research and professional advocacy that are deemed consistent with the high standards of the AANA.
UAB School of Nursing Assistant Professor Bryan Wilbanks, PhD, DNP, CRNA (DNP 2012, PhD 2016), former president of AANA and the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists Larry Hornsby, CRNA (BSN 1981, BS 1985) and Children’s of Alabama Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Heather Rankin, DNP, CRNA (BSN 2002, DNP 2014), have each been named an inaugural Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists.
Rankin, Wilbanks and Hornsby were honored at the AANA Annual Conference held in Austin, Texas August 13-17, 2021. In addition, UAB School of Nursing Assistant Professor Edwin Aroke PhD, CRNA was presented with the AANA Researcher of the Year Award. Click here to read more on Aroke.
Bryan Wilbanks, PhD, DNP, CRNA (DNP 2012, PhD 2016)
Wilbanks is an assistant professor in the UAB School of Nursing where he is leading the next generation of nurses and nurse anesthetists. He has worked extensively with the AANA Foundation over the past 10 years doing volunteer research and writing manuscripts. He is principal or co-investigator on 12 studies associated with AANA and four studies at UAB. In addition, he has 28 peer-reviewed manuscripts published or in press.
Wilbanks has served the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists for six years. He worked on the state and national levels while serving on the National Board for the Certification and Re-certification of Nurse Anesthetists on the evaluation and research advisory committee, and English as a second language committee. Wilbanks also serves on the AANA Foundations’ research and grant award panel.
Larry Hornsby, CRNA (BSN 1981, BS 1985)
Since graduating from the School of Nursing in 1981, Hornsby has owned and managed numerous health-related companies specializing in providing anesthesia services, recruitment, management and education, and has gone on to assume several leadership roles within the field of nurse anesthesia. In 1992, Hornsby was named president of the ALANA and in 2000 was named president of the AANA. When asked what these roles taught him about the profession and the CRNA’s across the United States, he said he credits these roles as big turning points professionally and mentally.
Hornsby is executive vice president and chief strategy officer for Diversified Professionals Inc. (DPI Anesthesia). DPI Anesthesia is a multi-faceted corporation that is playing a role in promoting the field of nurse anesthetist for generations to come.
Heather Rankin, DNP, CRNA (BSN 2002, DNP 2014)
Rankin has held several roles within AANA, most notably as Vice President in 2019 and Director of Region 7, which comprises Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, in 2016 and currently serves as treasurer. Before her roles in AANA, Rankin served as president of the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists from 2010-2011.
Rankin has been a CRNA at Children’s of Alabama since 2006, serving both in the role of a staff and senior CRNA. She also teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Samford University and the Medical University of South Carolina, where she advises nurse anesthesia residents in doctoral projects. She also teaches health care management principles and pediatrics at Medical University of South Carolina.
