The American Academy of Nursing has named six leaders as living legends for their contributions to healthcare and health systems.
The designation is the academy's highest nursing honor, according to an Aug. 10 news release from the AAN.
Below are brief biographies of the leaders, who will be honored in October at the Living Legends Ceremony held during the academy's annual health policy conference.
1. Jane Barnsteiner, PhD, MSN, RN. Dr. Barnsteiner is professor emerita at the University of Pennsylvania's nursing school in Philadelphia and editor of translational research and quality improvement for the American Journal of Nursing. Previously, she served as director of nursing for translational research at the University of Pennsylvania Health System and was director of nursing practice and research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
2. William Holzemer, PhD, BSN, RN. Dr. Holzemer is an HIV/AIDS care expert and spent 10 years as dean of Newark, N.J.-based Rutgers School of Nursing. He currently holds several titles, including distinguished professor and dean emeritus of the Rutgers School of Nursing as well as professor emeritus at the UC San Francisco School of Nursing and distinguished honorary professor at St. Luke's International University in Tokyo.
3. Jeanette Ives Erickson, DNP, MSN, RN. Dr. Ives Erickson is chair of the MGH Institute of Health Professions board of trustees, interim president and CEO of Nantucket (Mass.) Cottage Hospital and chief nurse emerita at Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital. She also serves as professor at IHP's School of Nursing and as an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
4. Norma Martinez Rogers, PhD, MSN, RN. Dr. Martinez Rogers is professor emeritus at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing, where she was the inaugural fully tenured Latina professor. Earlier in her career, she was assigned to William Beaumont Army Medical Center at Fort Bliss (Texas) during Operation Desert Storm and was president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.
5. Joyce Newman Giger, EdD, APRN. Dr. Newman Giger is a professor at the Miami-based College of Nursing & Health Sciences at Florida International University. She previously held roles including professor and Lulu Wolf Endowed Chair at University of California Los Angeles and was the first African-American nurse named as a tenured professor in UCLA School of Nursing history.
6. Franklin Shaffer, EdD, BSN, RN. Dr. Shaffer helms CGFNS International, formerly known as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools. Previously, he was deputy director of the National League for Nursing, the accreditation organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education.
To learn more about the six leaders, click here.