Celebrating Nursing Diversity

Native American Heritage Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during Native American Heritage Month in November 2022:

Lillian Tom-Orme, PhD, MSPH, RN, FAAN

Throughout her three decades-long career, Dr. Tom-Orme’s research has focused on health disparity issues, transcultural health, and cancer and diabetes care in American Indian and Alaskan Native people. She is the co-founder of the Native Research Network and has served on the Advisory Board for the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities as well as a Native American Research Liaison for the National Cancer Institute. She has received numerous awards for her work.

Jana Lauderdale, PhD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Lauderdale, a member of the Comanche Nation, is passionate in her research focused on health disparities, Native American women’s health, and educational access for minority nursing students. Her many grants to support this work include the perceived barriers to HPV vaccination by Native American Youth and Caregivers and Native Navigation Across the Cancer Continuum. She previously served as President of the Transcultural Nursing Society.

Jada Brooks, PhD, MSPH, RN, FAAN

Dr. Brooks’ research advances knowledge of inflammation, linking environmental pollutant exposures and psychosocial factors to cardiovascular disease in Native American women. Her work informs low-cost, culturally-based interventions that seek to reduce these women’s susceptibility to negative health outcomes, thereby promoting environmental health equity among Native American women. This work is especially relevant in Robeson County where Native American women of the Lumbee Nation have the highest death rate related to heart disease in the country.

Margaret Moss, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Moss is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota) and has equal lineage as Canadian Sioux/ Saskatchewan. Director of the First Nations House of Learning and an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Moss' areas of research include American Indian health, aging, health policy and health disparities. She currently serves on the Academy's Board of Directors.

Cherry Beasley, PhD, MS, FNP, RN, CNE, FAAN

Throughout Dr. Beasley’s over 45 years in nursing, her research and focus has been to advocate on behalf of rural and underserved populations to implement data-driven, culturally appropriate health solutions. She is a nationally recognized expert and the founding Chair of UNC Pembroke’s Department of Nursing. Her approach utilizes community outreach and research to address health disparities, well-being, and policies to promote Native American health. Dr. Beasley is the first member of the Lumbee Tribe to earn an BSN, MS, and PhD in Nursing.

Timian Godfrey, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAAN

Dr. Godfrey, as an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, has nearly 20 years of experience in hospice, gerontology, emergency medicine, and pain management. In addition to her academic appointments, she serves as an advanced practice clinician for TribalHealth, a healthcare leadership company that facilitates healthcare between the government and tribal health programs. Her funded research focuses on advancing health equity for underrepresented groups, specifically Native American communities.

Hispanic Heritage Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 - October 15, 2022:

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, FAAN

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos is the Dean, Distinguished Professor, and Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs for Duke University School of Nursing. He is also the founding director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health (CLAFH). Widely regarded as an expert, scholar, and leader in adolescent and young adult sexual and reproductive health promotion and the social determinants of health (SDOH), Dr. Guilamo-Ramos’ research focuses on the role of families in promoting health among Latinos and in other underserved communities, with a special focus on mitigating the mechanisms through which SDOH shape health outcomes and inequities.

Hudson Santos Jr., PhD, RN, FABMR

Dr. Santos is an internationally renowned nurse researcher and principal investigator of multiple funded studies focused on the mechanisms of SDOH and developmental health trajectories for at-risk populations. Specifically, he explores how SDOH and adverse life events affect maternal-child health and developmental outcomes among at-risk children. His work bridges the gap between the biological and social domains in nursing science, addressing the developmental origins of health and disease. Dr. Santos will be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing this year.

Norma Martinez Rogers, PhD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Martinez Rogers is Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing, where she was the first full-tenured Latina Professor. Dr. Martinez Rogers founded Juntos Podemos (Together We Can), a peer-to-peer mentoring program for nursing students to increase retention and graduation rates, especially among first-generation graduates. A dedicated mentor and advocate for Latinos in nursing, she also founded the International Association of Latino Nurse Faculty, which hosts the Cultural Inclusion Institute, and currently serves as President. She is a past President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, serving from 2008 to 2010.

Sherily Pereira-Morales, PhD, RNA

Dr. Pereira-Morales is an Associate Professor and the Acting Dean of the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, School of Nursing. Dr. Pereira-Morales’ clinical and scholarly expertise includes critical care nursing, anesthesia, and research. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in nursing, advanced health assessment in anesthesia, theories, and critical care. Direct early career care experiences exposed Dr. Pereira to the myriad of impacts pain management has on post-surgery outcomes, disease progression, and quality of life. Her scholarship now focuses specifically on pain and symptom management among persons diagnosed with cancer.

Esther Gallegos, PhD, MEA, RN, FAAN

Dr. Gallegos is a Professor at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in Mexico. She became the first Mexican nurse to graduate at the doctoral level and has indirectly helped other nurses to be motivated to reach the highest academic degree. Her leadership in advancing graduate nursing education and nursing research in Mexico and Latin America is seen through her transformation of graduate education using a solid community-based and interdisciplinary focus on population-based health promotion and disease prevention, to address priorities of both national and local communities.

Pride Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during Pride Month in June 2022:

Billy A. Caceres, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN, PhD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Caceres currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing and the Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research at Columbia University. His research uses biobehavioral approaches to mitigate psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease. He is currently the Principal Investigator of the RESTORE Study which seeks to use data science to examine associations of discrimination with sleep health and blood pressure in Black and Latino LGBTQ+ adults.

Carol J Boyd, PhD, RN, FIAAN, FAANPhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP

Dr. Boyd, Professor Emerita, University of Michigan, and Founding Director, Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking & Health, conducts mixed-method studies to examine the relationship between gender, health, and drug, alcohol, and nicotine use. In particular, she researches prescription drug adherence and misuse among adolescents and young adults, with a particular focus on the LGBTQ+ communities, through innovative online surveys.

Elizabeth Saewyc, PhD, RN, FSAHM, FCAHS, FAAN, FCANPhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Saewyc, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar & Director, School of Nursing at the University of British Columbia, leads the Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre. The Centre researches how stigma and trauma influence the health of marginalized young people – particularly LGBTQ+, runaway and homeless youth, Indigenous young people, and survivors of sexual abuse and trauma. Her current research evaluates intersectional population-based interventions and their impact on reducing health inequities for LGBTQ+ youth.

James L. Raper, PhD, DSN, CRNP, JD, FAANDNP, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Raper, Professor of Medicine and Nursing and Scientist for the Centers of AIDS Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has devoted his career to improving care for HIV populations. His combined background of law and research has enabled him to advocate on behalf of HIV/AIDS patients, transforming their access to care. Dr. Raper influenced the creation of an HIV nursing specialty recognized by the American Nurses Association and is currently working to develop a master’s advanced practice nursing specialty in HIV/AIDS at UAB.

Tommy Dickinson, PhD, RN, FAAN, PhD, DSN, CRNP, JD, FAANDNP, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Dickinson, Head of the Department of Mental Health Nursing, Kings College London, has prioritized the mental health of older adults throughout his career. His primary area of focus is to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in health care and education by promoting inclusive gerontological care for older LGBTQ+ adults in care homes. A proponent of advancing mental health for LGBTQ+ populations throughout his career, his PhD thesis collected oral histories of LGBTQ+ patients from 1935-1974 who received aversion therapy.

Tonda L. Hughes, PhD, RN, FAAN, PhD, RN, FAAN, PhD, DSN, CRNP, JD, FAANDNP, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Hughes, Associate Dean for Global Health and Executive Director of the Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research at Columbia University, is an internationally-renowned expert on women’s mental health and sexual minority women’s health. Her research on alcohol use among sexual minority women has grown into the longest-running longitudinal study on the topic. Dr. Hughes’ extensive research has been funded by numerous federal agencies and resulted in over 160 peer-reviewed publications.

Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during AAPI Heritage Month in May 2022:

Larissa Ann Africa, MBA, BSN, RN, FAAN

Larissa Africa, President of Versant Healthcare Competency Solutions, redesigned a traditional time-based Nurse Residency Program (NRP) into a competency-based model that addresses the workforce’s needs and developed a cutting-edge technology platform to accommodate its use across hospitals. The competency-based system allows individual nurse competency performance to be managed at the department, hospital, and system level, which has led to increased retention within the profession.

Jing Wang, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN

Dr. Wang, Dean, Florida State University College of Nursing, is a nationally-recognized leader in digital health. Her research uses technology to help patients age in place by optimizing behavioral lifestyle interventions and improving patient-centered outcomes in chronically ill and aging populations, especially among underserved and minority populations. Dr. Wang is the current President of the Asian American / Pacific Islander Nurses Association.

Eun-Ok Im, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN

Dr. Im’s feminist-driven research adopts technologies to eliminate gender and ethnic differences in health and illness experiences for midlife women. A pioneer in this effort, her work has gained international recognition of her cross-cultural research on oncology and menopause among women. Dr. Im currently serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Edith Folsom Honeycutt Endowed Chair at Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Emerson Ea, PhD, DNP, MS, BSN, FAAN

Dr. Ea’s equity-centered research focuses on immigrant health and well-being, particularly among the Filipino population. His publications include topics such as immigrant health, gerontologic nursing, and nursing education and practice. Dr. Ea currently serves as Clinical Associate Professor and Associate Dean, Clinical & Adjunct Faculty Affairs at New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing. He is also a member of the Academy’s D&I Committee.

Women's History Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during Women's History Month, centered on Providing Healing, Promoting Hope, in March 2022:

Historic Women Healers

Susie King Taylor (1848-1912)
Known for being the first Black nurse during the American Civil War, Taylor was also the first Black woman to self-publish her memoirs.

Susie Walking Bear Yellowtail (1903-1981)
Yellowtail broke barriers for Indigenous women and fought for culturally competent healthcare. She became the first Native American in the U.S. to earn a nursing degree.

Ina May Gaskin (1940-)
An American midwife described as "the mother of authentic midwifery" for founding The Farm Midwifery Center, one of the first out-of-hospital birthing centers in the United States.

Ruth B. Merkatz, PhD, RN, FAAN

Ruth Merkatz is the Senior Clinical Advisor for the Population Council’s Reproductive Health program. She served as the first Director of the Office of Women’s Health at the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), where she led efforts to include women in all phases of clinical trials. Notably, at the FDA, Dr. Merkatz was directly involved in the approval of the first female condom and ensured all contraceptives provided labeling information for protection against sexually transmitted infections.

Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, FAANP

Dr. Johnson-Mallard’s innovative research focuses on women’s health, reproductive health promotion, STI prevention, HPV screening and prevention, and behavior change in response to culturally appropriate nursing interventions. She developed and disseminated a novel series of 3-D education sessions using Second Life®, which demonstrated how a virtual environment can be used as an innovative and effective educational intervention. She also developed the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) program at Florida A&M University, the first WHNP program at an HBCU.

Alexis Dunn Amore, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Dunn Amore is committed to advancing the health of those most vulnerable. Her research and service are focused on dismantling perinatal health disparities as well as developing initiatives to address the root causes of maternal mortality. She works in collaboration with Georgia community organizations to address disparities in health outcomes for Black women and build social support in the community. Dr. Dunn Amore is a tenure track Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Nursing and a Certified Nurse Midwife at the Atlanta Birth Center.

Pandora Hardtman, DNP, RN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

Dr. Hardtman has decades of midwifery experience working in diverse healthcare settings. Specializing in maternal/child health services in low-resourced and conflict settings, she is dedicated to improving women’s health outcomes during pregnancy and providing a safe space for women to receive care throughout their lives. Her work also focuses on improving access for midwives to practice to the fullest extent of their training and education. Dr. Hardtman currently serves as the Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer of Jhpiego.

Black History Month

The Academy spotlighted the following individuals during Black History Month, centered on Black Health and Wellness, in February 2022:

Rhetaugh Dumas, PhD, MA, BSN, FAAN

Dr. Rhetaugh Dumas was a founding member of the American Academy of Nursing and was named a Living Legend in 2002. Dr. Dumas was the first woman and nurse to serve as Deputy Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. She was only the second African-American and was the first Black woman to be named and to hold the position of Dean at the University of Michigan when appointed in 1981.

Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first Black licensed nurse in the United States after becoming one of four nurses to complete the New England Hospital for Women and Children graduate program in 1879. She helped found the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908 and opened their first national convention.

Vernice Ferguson, BSN, MA, FAAN

Vernice Ferguson served as Academy President from 1981-1983 and was named a Living Legend in 1998. She was nationally and internationally known for her leadership role in fostering excellence in nursing care and education. She served as a nurse executive within the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, leading the nation’s largest staff of nurses, as well as the nursing department head at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Colonel Lawrence Washington

Colonel Lawrence Washington was the first commissioned male Army Nurse Corps officer; the first black male Army Nurse Corps officer to receive the rank of colonel; and the first black male nurse to receive certification for residency education at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Lawrence has received numerous awards, including the US Legion of Merit.

Captain James Lavelle Dickens, DNP, FAAN, FAANP

Captain James Lavelle Dickens serves as the Survey Operations Group Long Term Care Manager for five states for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dallas. Through a social determinants of health lens, he has led multiple government initiatives to provide high-quality care in complex situations, including the Afghanistan Health Initiative to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, APRN, FAAN

Dr. Felesia Bowen began her career as a US Army Nurse and is a veteran of the first Gulf War, having served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She is a renowned nurse scientist and leader, specializing in the study of childhood asthma and trauma in urban communities. Dr. Bowen currently serves as Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Guardia Banister, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Dr. Gaurdia Banister is known for her research and work to establish innovative models of interprofessional education, transition to practice considerations for culturally-diverse nursing students, and the impact of mentoring on career success and progression. Dr. Banister currently serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for Patient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital and on the Institute for Nursing Leadership’s National Advisory Council.

Gina S. Brown, PhD, MSA, RN, FAAN

Dr. Gina S. Brown serves as the Dean for the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University, a prominent HBCU. In her role as Dean, she has improved the NCLEX pass rates. In her 25 years of nursing, she has helped prepare over 1,000 underrepresented clinicians for entry into the workforce, helping to diversify the profession as a whole.

Dorothy L. Powell, EdD, RN, FAAN

Dr. Dorothy Powell has been a force in the nursing profession. Beyond her academic roles, Dr. Powell’s dedication to service is evidenced through her leadership to develop a convalescent unit for homeless individuals in a large shelter in Washington, DC. She was also responsible for the development of a unique career training program, Nursing Careers for Homeless People, which has won national recognition.