Transformation Toward an Equitable Future in Washington, October 31- November 2. AAN President Linda Scott welcomed the 51st Class of Fellows and Honorary Fellows at a celebration for these “extraordinary nurses and health care leaders from across the globe.” Thirty-seven states, DC, Guam and four countries are represented by the inductees.
The American Academy of Nursing held its 2024 Health Policy Conference, Courageous
NJSNA members, Drs. Tara Heagele and Emilio Iwu are members of the 2024 Academy Class of Fellow who were inducted on November 2. Dr. Heagele is a former member of the NJSNA Board of Directors.
Tara Heagele. PhD. RN, FAAN, Assistant Professor, City University of New York, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, was inspired by her clinical experience in emergency and critical care transport nursing. She became interested in the role that nurses have in mobilizing the community to prepare for and recover from extreme weather events and disasters. As a member of her local Medical Reserve Corps, Heagele volunteers her nursing expertise to her community during extreme weather events, public health emergencies, and disasters. She holds certifications in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. In a study exploring household emergency preparedness (HEP) of elderly and medically frail community members, she found that low levels of HEP were due in large part to lack of education on how best to prepare. She is developing and pilot testing nurse-led HEP interventions in diverse in-patient and community settings. Heagele, as part of a team of disaster nurse researchers, developed a global, interdisciplinary, evidence-based, valid, reliable, all-hazards HEP instrument. She is pilot testing the instrument in various populations to gather additional validity data, while evaluating the effectiveness of various levels of HEP interventions. Additionally, her climate change research is measuring the effects of extreme heat and air pollution on the cardiovascular and pulmonary health of susceptible individuals in New York City.
Emilio Iwu, PhD, RN, APN, FAAN, is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean, Global Health at Rutgers School of Nursing, Newark. Also, she is a Global Health Practitioner, Researcher, Primary Health Provider, and an accomplished Nurse Leader. Iwu is a Board Member, past President and Education Committee Chair of National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA). She is the Senior Technical Advisor for nursing and community programs at Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, a CDC/PEPFAR-funded organization supporting HIV and Tuberculosis care in Nigeria. Her research focuses on global health workforce HIV treatment support to improve access, adherence, and retention for women, children, and adolescent families affected by HIV. Iwu is the Nigerian Principal Investigator for four-African country consortium research funded by UK-AID. This 5-year, longitudinal cohort study examines midwifery education, workforce integration and influence on maternal/newborn mortality in conflict affected Yobe State, Nigeria. She is a two-time Carnegie African Diaspora Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson and Jonas Foundation Nurse Leaders Fellowship alumnus. She served as a CGFNS Alliance Board Member until 2022. Iwu has been a member of the National Academies Forum on Health Professions Education since 2014.
American Journal of Nursing editor emeritus, Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN was elected to become a member of the Academy’s Fellow Selection Committee.
