Three Rutgers School of Nursing faculty will be inducted as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing this fall. Professors Mary L. Johansen, PhD, NE-BC, RN, Jeffrey Kwong, DNP, MPH, ANP-BC, and Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN, will officially be inducted into the AAN at a ceremony held at the organization’s annual policy conference, Transforming Health, Driving Policy, in Washington, D.C., in October.

“We are pleased that our faculty’s leadership and expertise has been recognized by the American Academy of Nursing,” said William L. Holzemer, Dean of the Rutgers School of Nursing.  

The induction of Johansen, Kwong, and Thomas-Hawkins into this prestigious organization brings the roster of current School of Nursing Academy fellows to more than a dozen.  

Johansen, a clinical associate professor in the Division of Advanced Nursing Practice at Rutgers School of Nursing, has an extensive background in emergency and critical care and serves on numerous state and national boards that set standards for nursing leadership. Johansen teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and mentors graduate students. She is recognized for her expertise in regulatory policies governing the nursing profession and nursing standards of practice. Her research focuses on the nursing workforce and improving quality care to patients.  

Kwong is a professor in the Advanced Nursing Practice Division at Rutgers School of Nursing and a widely respected authority in the field of HIV treatment and prevention, as well as a leading expert in the provision of care to the LGBT community. He is responsible for creating and leading many U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration-funded, multi-year programs. Kwong serves as president of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) and is also a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Additionally, Kwong is certified by the American Nurse Credentialing Center, the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board, and is credentialed as an HIV specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. 

Thomas-Hawkins is assistant dean of Nursing Science, associate professor, and director of the Center for Healthcare Quality at Rutgers School of Nursing. Her research and expertise focus on nephrology nursing systems and related issues such as nurse staffing levels and workload. Thomas-Hawkins was the first researcher to quantify the relationships among nursing structures – (e.g., patient-to-RN ratios, workload), nurse practice environment support, missed care, and patient outcomes in outpatient dialysis units in the United States, which helped to inform significant policy changes. With nearly 30 years of clinical practice experience as a staff nurse, she has served on local, regional and national advisory boards, as well as professional committees. 

According to the AAN, 231 nurse leaders from across 38 states and 17 countries will be inducted as fellows at this year’s conference. Since 1973, the AAN has carefully selected more than 2,600 nurse leaders as fellows who “have been recognized for their extraordinary commitment to the promotion of the public’s health through evidence and innovation” (AAN).