The American Academy of Nursing awarded five nurse leaders its Living Legend designation, the academy's highest honor.
Each year, the academy selects a small number of fellows to honor as Living Legends. The eligibility criteria includes serving as a fellow for at least 15 years and demonstrating "extraordinary, sustained contributions to nursing and health care."
The 2017 Living Legend honorees include:
● Linda R. Cronenwett, PhD, RN, professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and co-director of the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Program.
● Elaine L. Larson, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for research at New York City-based Columbia University School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health; as well as editor of the American Journal of Infection Control.
● Carolyn A. Williams, RN, PhD, past president of the American Academy of Nursing, past president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and former dean of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing in Lexington.
● Nancy Fugate Woods, PhD, RN, past president of the American Academy of Nursing and former dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing in Seattle.
● Connie Henke Yarbro, RN, co-founder of the Oncology Nursing Society, founder of the ONS Foundation and past president and board member for the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care.