Prestigious honor recognizes Robyn Schafer’s leadership in midwifery education and professional standards development and Susan H. Weaver’s scholarship in nursing workforce research and healthcare leadership.

Robyn Schafer (PhD, CNM, FACNM) and Susan H. Weaver (PhD, RN, CRNI, NEA-BC), two outstanding members of the Rutgers School of Nursing community, have been selected as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the profession’s highest honors.

Schafer is an associate professor in the School of Nursing’s Division of Advanced Nursing Practice and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences.

Weaver is a nurse scientist at the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, a state-legislated center housed at the school. A 2016 graduate of Rutgers’ PhD in Nursing program, Weaver also serves as a nurse scientist at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Ann May Center for Nursing.

They are among the Academy’s 2026 Class of Fellows, representing 39 states, the District of Columbia, and 17 countries. The new fellows will be inducted during the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place Oct. 8-10 in Washington, D.C.

Fellowship in the Academy recognizes nurse leaders whose work has made substantial contributions to improving health and healthcare. With the 2026 class, the Academy’s fellowship will include more than 3,600 nurse leaders advancing policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.

“Rutgers School of Nursing has a distinguished community of Academy fellows among our faculty and our alumni,” said Angela Starkweather, dean and professor. “We are proud to welcome Dr. Schafer and Dr. Weaver into that cadre. Their selection reflects the national impact of their scholarship, leadership, and service, and the important contributions Rutgers nurses continue to make to health and healthcare.”

Schafer has been a member of the Rutgers faculty since 2019 and maintains active clinical practice as a nurse-midwife at a federally qualified health center. Her scholarship and advocacy focus on strengthening the evidence that guides nurse-midwifery and reproductive healthcare through research and the development of professional standards that shape clinical practice across the field.

She examines how patients and clinicians navigate difficult decisions in reproductive and perinatal care, with a focus on shared decision-making, informed choice, and equitable, person-centered care. Her work has informed evidence-based clinical guidance and policy in nursing and midwifery throughout the United States and internationally.

Through more than a decade of national service with the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Schafer has contributed to the professional standards, ethics guidance, and clinical publications that define expectations for nurse-midwifery practice nationwide. She was named a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives in 2020 and received the organization’s Excellence in Teaching Award in 2025.

Weaver advances nursing science and policy at state and national levels by championing underexplored workforces: administrative supervisors, night-shift nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs). At the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing, she collects, analyzes, and disseminates state-level workforce data to inform policy, regulation, and practice. At Hackensack Meridian Health’s Ann May Center for Nursing, she provides leadership in nursing research and evidence-based practice, supporting staff in the design, implementation, and evaluation of research and evidence-based projects.

“Dr. Weaver’s selection as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing recognizes the importance and reach of her work in strengthening the nursing workforce,” said Daria Waszak, executive director of the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing and clinical associate professor at Rutgers School of Nursing.

Weaver’s research has examined the home health aide and licensed practical nurse workforce, the integration of LPNs into acute care settings, administrative supervisors, and nurses who work night shifts. She has received research funding from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing, and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Foundation.

She is nationally recognized for her research on the administrative supervisor role and its impact on nurse and patient safety. In 2017, she founded the Administrative Supervisor Conference, which has grown into a multistate event. She also served as the 2021-22 president of the Infusion Nurses Society.

Upon their induction into the American Academy of Nursing, Schafer and Weaver will join an outstanding cadre of Rutgers School of Nursing faculty members who have achieved the coveted FAAN designation.

Full-time Faculty, Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing  

• Julie Blumenfeld, DNP, CNM, IBCLC, FACNM, FAAN
• Wendy Budin, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN
• Jill Cox, PhD, RN, APN-c, CWOCN, FAAN
• Karen D’Alonzo, PhD, RN, APN-c, FAAN
• William Holzemer, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Emilia Iwu, PhD, RN, APNC, FWACN
• Mary Johansen, PhD, RN, NE-BC, FAAN
• Olga Jarrín Montaner, PhD, RN, FAAN
• John Nelson, PhD, CNS, CPNP, FAAN
• Keesha Powell-Roach, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Leorey Saligan, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN
• Angela Starkweather, PhD, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
• Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Tracy R. Vitale, DNP, RNC-OB, C-EFM, NE-BC, CNE, FAAN

Recently Retired Faculty (past five years) AAN Fellows

• Edna Cadmus, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
• Linda Flynn, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Lucille Joel, EdD, RN, APN, FAAN
• Anthony Forrester, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
• Melanie Percy, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN
• Susan Salmond, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
• Suzanne Willard, PhD, APN, FAAN