By Laura Gasque
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Associate Professor and Nurse Anesthesia DNP Pathway Director Susan McMullan, PhD, CRNA, CNE, CHSE, FAANA, FAAN, is the 2023 recipient of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Helen Lamb Outstanding Educator Award. The award recognizes McMullan’s commitment to nurse anesthesiology and to the advancement of educational standards that further the art and science of anesthesiology and result in high-quality patient care. She received the award at the AANA Annual Congress August 21.
“I am so honored to follow in Helen Lamb’s footsteps and continue her tradition of educating nurse anesthetists across the state and nation,” McMullan said. “It has truly been an honor and one of the greatest achievements and highlights of my career.”
McMullan is the incoming President of the National Board of Certification and Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists, the national credentialing and recredentialing organization for the more than 60,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in the U.S. She is completing her second term on the NBCRNA board where she has served on and chaired multiple committees, including the Leadership, Development and Nominations, Finance, Communications and has served as the board liaison to the Evaluation and Research Advisory Committee for more than three years.
McMullan has been a CRNA for over 30 years, with clinical experience in all forms of anesthesia. She has more than 10 years of experience as a nurse anesthesia didactic and simulation educator and program director. In addition to receiving nearly $1 million in HRSA traineeship grant funding, she has received an additional $50,000 in AANA Foundation Doctoral, Post-Doctoral Fellowship and General Grants for her work on nurse anesthesia and patient safety.
In 2022, she was named a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2021, the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists presented McMullan with the Outstanding Advocacy and Service to the CRNA Profession Award. In 2018, she received the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
