The American Academy of Nursing announced five individuals to receive its highly acclaimed designation of Living Legend today. These pacesetters, eminently accomplished in nursing and health care over the course of their careers, will officially receive the Academy’s highest honor at a special ceremony during its policy conference in Washington, D.C. on October 20.
“We are thrilled to designate these incredibly deserving individuals as Academy Living Legends for the many contributions they have made to the nursing profession and health care,” said Academy President Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Each of them embodies excellence, leadership, and enduring commitment to promoting the health of people.”
The Academy’s board of directors recognizes a small number of Fellows as Living Legends each year. To be eligible, the Living Legend must have been an Academy Fellow for at least 15 years and have demonstrated extraordinary, sustained contributions to nursing and health care. The following nurses will be honored as 2016 Living Legends in recognition of the multiple contributions they have made to nursing that continue to reverberate throughout the health services field today.
American Academy of Nursing 2016 Living Legends:
Linda Burnes Bolton, DrPH, RN, FAAN, is a renowned champion of community nursing and a global advocate for empowering communities of color to actively participate in their care. She helped develop a “Community Collaboration Model” that has been implemented in more than 100 neighborhoods, and has been committed to enhancing patients’ health literacy and increasing diversity within the health profession. Currently Vice President for Nursing, Chief Nursing Officer, and Director of Nursing Research at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, she also has been the leader of several national nursing organizations throughout her career, including President of the American Academy of Nursing 2005-2007.
Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc, APRN, BC, RN, FAAN, is internationally lauded as a pioneer in the assessment and treatment of victims of sexual violence and trauma. Her transformative work as co-founder of one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs introduced the Rape Trauma Syndrome into the scientific literature. The diagnosis has since gained admissibility in over 300 appellate court decisions.She has worked with the FBI to study links between child abuse, juvenile delinquency, and subsequent perpetration. A Professor of Psychiatric Nursing at Boston College, her current research on elder abuse in nursing homes and military sexual trauma continues to influence public policy.
Colleen Conway-Welch, PhD, CNM, RN, FAAN, FACNM, has made direct and profound contributions to the nursing profession, health education, and public policy through her research, scholarship, and visionary leadership. She served as Dean of Vanderbillt University’s School of Nursing for 28 years. Her profound national impact on health care includes serving on President Reagan’s 1988 Commission on HIV, the 1998 National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, the 2002 DHHS Advisory Council on Public Health Preparedness, and the 2006-2010 Board of Regents for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She is a founder and former President of the Friends of the National Institute for Nursing Research.
Joyce J. Fitzpatrick, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, is best known for her contributions toward advancing the science of nursing education at universities and health ministries around the world. From developing educational interventions focused on HIV/AIDS prevention in Uganda to designing a 10-hospital project centered on improving the nursing care provided to elders, her research has shined a spotlight on the meaningfulness of nurses’ work life. She served as Dean of Case Western Reserve University’s School of Nursing for over 15 years, and her widely cited “Life Perspective Rhythm Model” has provided a holistic, spiritual method for understanding nursing concepts. In addition, she has been a leader of several national nursing organizations during her career, including President of the American Academy of Nursing 1997-1999.
Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN, is recognized around the globe for her research projects, which have been been instrumental in preventing and treating hypertension and its complications, particularly among young, urban African-American men. Her expertise in community-based participatory research focuses on the integration of multi-professional health care to improve treatment and outcomes for vulnerable and underserved populations. As Dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing from 2001 to 2014, and a member of the faculty since the school was established in 1983, she has played a major role in mentoring nurses, students and physicians as clinicians and researchers.
