Professor Campbell, Chief Nurse Baker, Inducted American Academy of Nursing Fellows
UVA School of Nursing and UVA Health are proud to announce two of its own earned one of the highest professional honors in nursing.
On Nov. 2 in Washington, D.C., Kathy Baker, chief nursing officer, UVA Health University Medical Center, and associate dean for clinical affairs, UVA School of Nursing—and Cathy Campbell, associate professor and Global Initiatives director, UVA School of Nursing—were inducted as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAANs) at the Academy's Health Policy Conference.
'True Testament'
"Having both a leader from UVA Health and a distinguished faculty member from our School of Nursing receive one of the highest honors in nursing is a true testament to the exceptional talent, dedication, and impact across our team," said Wendy Horton, CEO of UVA Health University Medical Center.
“We couldn’t be more proud of these two extraordinary nurses,” said Dean Marianne Baernholdt. “They are well-deserving of this honor and truly outstanding in—and committed to—our field."
With the inductions, UVA School of Nursing's total number of FAANs rose to 37—and to 56 for total fellows of national academies among the school's active and emeriti faculty.
Transforming Health
The FAAN distinction is awarded annually to select individuals invited by the Academy. The more than 3,000 FAANs—from 37 states, Washington, D.C., and 14 countries—include nursing leaders in education, management, practice, and research, committing their time and energy to the organization, engaging with other leaders to transform healthcare systems, and making positive changes in their communities to champion wellness.
Fellows represent elected officials; state and federal political appointees and government officials; hospital chief executives; university presidents, chancellors and deans; researchers; entrepreneurs; and association executives.
'Compassionate Heart . . . Strategic Mind'
Baker is being honored as an Academy fellow for her national work on nurse staffing, top-of-license practice, and contributions to emergency nursing research.
"Since joining UVA Health in 2021, Kathy has demonstrated exemplary leadership—combining a compassionate heart with a strategic mind," Horton said. "In just three years, her advocacy for enhanced nursing infrastructure has led to stabilized staffing, increased engagement, reduced turnover, and improved patient outcomes. Kathy's work is a true reflection of UVA Health’s mission to transform health and inspire hope for Virginians and beyond."
Baker has also championed key initiatives at the School, including the development of the Clinical Instructor Workshop, Nurse Educator Academy, a new Evidence-Based Practice Academy, and the launch of eight new Clinical Nurse Leader positions for CNL-certified nurses, among the nation's first such roles. Baker is being honored as an Academy fellow for her national work on nurse staffing, top-of-license practice, and her contributions to emergency nursing research.
"When I arrived at UVA Health University Medical Center, I committed myself to being the kind of CNO that I believe the organization deserves," said Baker. "This honor is not just for me—it's for all the nurses I'm proud to represent—and with my induction to the American Academy of Nursing, I hope to represent UVA Health to the best of my ability," said Baker.
'Immense and Fitting Honor'
Campbell—a long-time hospice nurse, Buddhist chaplain, Fulbright scholar alumna, and an expert on end-of-life and palliative care in both global and domestic settings, including for rural caregivers and transgender elders—is a nurse scientist who studied end-of-life care education and practices in South Africa and Thailand. She also studies the end-of-life experiences of and develops supports for transgender elders who are dying, and earned Mind & Life Institute think-tank grant funding to develop and present best practices to support them.
The distinction, among the highest professional honors a nurse may earn, is awarded annually to select individuals invited by the Academy. The nation’s more than 3,000 AAN Fellows include nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research, individuals who commit their time and energy to the organization, engaging with other health care leaders to transform the American health care system.
37
The School's total number of American Academy of Nursing Fellows, with Campbell and Baker's inductions
Campbell also studies end-of-life experiences of — and develops supports for — transgender elders who are dying, and has earned Mind and Life Institute think tank grant funding to develop and present best practices.
"I am honored to be recognized as a fellow by the American Academy of Nursing. In the summer of 1984, I started as a BSN nursing student at the University of Florida," Campbell recalled. "At that time, I could not have imagined that I would be receiving one of the highest accolades that a nurse could receive in their profession."
"Cathy has been a champion of individuals who are often overlooked or marginalized," Baernholdt said. "Her work is her argument for change. She is an inspiring colleague and I was thrilled to watch her receive this immense and fitting honor."
The School of Nursing is pleased to additionally salute the following alumni for their induction into the American Academy of Nursing 2024 cohort of new Fellow inductees:
- Thomas W. Barkley, PhD, ACNP-BC, ANP, FAANP (MSN ’89)
Barkley & Associates, Inc. - Nancy Crego, PhD, RN, CCRN, CHSE (PhD ’13)
assistant professor at Duke University School of Nursing - Tina S. Gustin, DNP, CNS, RN (MSN ’87)
associate professor at Old Dominion University's Ellmer School of Nursing - Danielle K. McCamey, DNP, ACNP-BC, FCCP (BSN ’03)
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing assistant dean and founder of DNPs of Color - Karen Kane McDonnell, PhD, RN (PhD ’13)
associate professor and co-director of the Cancer Survivorship Research Center at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing - Devon Noonan, PhD, MPH, FNP-BC, CARN (PhD ’10)
associate professor and Dorothy Powell Term Chair of Nursing at Duke University School of Nursing - Jane R. von Gaudecker, PhD, RN, AGCNS, FAES, CGNC (MSN ’12, PhD ’15)
associate professor, Indiana University School of Nursing - Lisa A. Wiese, PhD, MSN, RN, GERO-BC, PHNA-BC, CNE, FGSA (BSN ’84, MSN ’85)
associate professor at the Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing - Kenya D. Williams, EdD, MBA, MSN, RN, RP, CAE, FNYAM (MSN ’13)
deputy executive director of the National Student Nurses' Association
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