VCU news

Two VCU School of Nursing faculty members will receive one of the most prestigious honors in nursing this fall when they are inducted into the American Academy of Nursing.

Suzanne Ameringer, Ph.D., professor and assistant dean for research, scholarship and innovation; and Theresa Swift-Scanlan, Ph.D., the Ellen Fontaine Winston Distinguished Professor and director of biobehavioral laboratory services, are among 231 nurse leaders nationwide selected as 2019 fellows. 

They will be honored during the AAN annual policy conference, “Transforming Health, Driving Policy,” which will take place Oct. 24-26 in Washington, D.C.

“I am proud to welcome this incredible class of leaders to the American Academy of Nursing," said Karen Cox, Ph.D., president of the academy. "Their amazing accomplishments have changed health and health care across the country and around the globe. I look forward to celebrating the new fellows at our 2019 policy conference and working with them in the future so that our collective knowledge can impact and influence health policy.”

The academy is currently comprised of more than 2,600 nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. They have been recognized for their commitment to the promotion of the public’s health through evidence and innovation. 

“It’s exciting to see our faculty recognized for the great work they do in advancing the education of nurses and examining ways to improve health care,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., professor and dean of the VCU School of Nursing. “Their status as fellows further elevates our school as a leader in nursing education and research.”

In addition to teaching, Ameringer conducts research on improving symptom self-management in adolescents and young adults with sickle cell disease and cancer. A member of the Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau International, the Oncology Nursing Society, and the Children’s Oncology Group, she has been published in numerous industry journals and has presented at conferences nationally and internationally.

Along with her teaching responsibilities, Swift-Scanlan conducts research on the epigenetics of chronic illness, aiming to improve risk assessment and treatment of cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. A member of the American Association for Cancer Research, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the International Society of Nurses in Genetics, she has been published in numerous industry journals and has presented at conferences nationally and internationally.

Ameringer and Swift-Scanlan will join several VCU nursing faculty members who have already been recognized as AAN fellows.