Pilon named American Academy of Nursing fellow
The School of Nursing recently added one more faculty member to the prestigious list of fellows to the American Academy of Nursing.
Bonnie Pilon, DSN, RN, senior associate dean for Practice at the School of Nursing, will be inducted into the Academy during the annual meeting slated for this fall.
“I am not usually speechless, but I am about this honor,” said Pilon. “I am joining a group of extremely gifted and talented people. It’s inspiring because I am becoming a part of such a high-achieving group. Being associated with those people drives you to contribute more to the field of nursing as well as serve as a force to move nursing forward.”
Pilon will join 67 other nominated fellows for induction. The group represents a field of nursing practice that includes university deans, professors, nurse researchers, hospital executives, advanced practice nurses and political appointees at the local, state and federal levels.
The American Academy of Nursing, founded in 1973, serves the public and nursing profession by transforming health care policy and practice through the development, dissemination and integration of nursing knowledge into practice.
To become a fellow, nominees must exemplify the following key criteria – extraordinary commitment and contributions to nursing that far exceed the responsibilities of their employment and the potential for sustained contributions to the profession in the future.
“As a fellow of the AAN, I feel that I have been given my marching orders,” said Pilon. “Doctorally-prepared nurses are socialized to be thought leaders for the profession. The AAN recognizes that the fellows are nursing’s leaders. We all bear responsibility for demonstrating the value of nursing to society and advocating for the profession. That is something I take personally.”
Other fellows of the Academy include Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., CNM, dean of the School of Nursing; Luther P. Christman, Ph.D., RN, adjunct professor; Roxanne Spitzer, Ph.D., RN, professor of Nursing, CEO of Metro General Hospital; Joyce Laben, MSN, RNCS, JD, professor emeritus at the School of Nursing; Judy Ozbolt, Ph.D., RN, Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing, professor of Biomedical Informatics, director of Pathworx; Peter Buerhaus, Ph.D., RN, associate dean for Research and Valere Potter Distinguished Professor of Nursing; Carol Etherington, MSN, RN, professor of Nursing; and Betsy Weiner, Ph.D., RN, associate dean for Educational Informatics and professor in Nursing and Biomedical Informatics.