Nursing faculty honored as fellows

Nine VUSN faculty have been announced as fellows in several prestigious nursing and health care organizations, honoring their hard work and contributions to their professions.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine elected Associate Professor Brian Widmar, PhD’12, FAANP, FCCM, as a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine, and named Professor and Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing Education Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, FAAN, FAANP, MCCM, a Master of Critical Care Medicine. She had previously been named a fellow. The society also gave Kleinpell a Presidential Citation Award. These honors recognize health care professionals who have made substantial contributions to the field of critical care medicine.

The National Academies of Practice named Associate Professor Christian Ketel, DNP’14, FNAP, a Nursing Distinguished Practitioner Fellow. This distinction is awarded by the Nursing Academies of Practice to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the field.

Professor Sharon Karp, PhD’08, MSN’99, FAANP, was named a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners at its recent convention. She was recognized for leadership and contributions to the nurse practitioner field, profession and to the organization’s mission. Additionally, Kleinpell received AANP’s Legacy Award in honor of her impact on the nurse practitioner profession.

Professor Betsy Kennedy, PhD, MSN’93, BSN’89, RN, CNE, was chosen as a 2022 Academy of Nursing Education Fellow by the National Leage for Nursing (NLN), for serving as a leader in nursing education. She will be inducted in September.

The American Academy of Nursing has selected four School of Nursing faculty for its 2022 cohort of fellows. The four, Associate Professor Kelly Aldrich, DNP, FHIMSS; Professor Laurie Connors, PhD(c), DNP, FAANP; VUMC Executive Chief Nursing Officer and VUSN Associate Dean for Clinical Practice Marilyn Dubree, MSN’76; and Associate Professor and Nursing Informatics Specialty Director Brenda Kulhanek, PhD, will be inducted into the academy during its annual health policy conference in October.

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