Seven members of the Emory University nursing community will be welcomed into the 2022 American Academy of Nursing (AAN) class. More than 3,000 members, known as Fellows, comprise the academy. Academy Fellows are nursing’s most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research.
The honorees include Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing faculty and alumni and Emory Healthcare nurse leaders.
“Getting selected to be a member of the AAN is one of the highest honors one can receive in the field of nursing,” says Linda McCauley, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing. “The 2022 honorees exemplify Emory School of Nursing’s mission to cultivate excellence, leadership and innovative practice to improve public health worldwide.”
AAN Fellows create and execute evidence-based and policy-related initiatives to advance health care. The inductees – who join 67 Emory University School of Nursing alumni and faculty members who are already Fellows – have been recognized for their extraordinary nursing careers.
The newest School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare inductees include:
Desireé Clement, DNP, APRN, CNM, FNP-BC, FACNM, FAANP – Emory University
Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean of Graduate Clinical Programs / Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
After delivering more than 2,000 babies in her midwifery career, Clement teaches in the Emory Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Midwifery programs. She is currently the assistant dean for graduate clinical programs and holds fellowships in the American College of Nurse Midwives and American Association of Nurse Practitioners. A U.S. Navy veteran, she is involved in health policy research, often called upon to provide testimony to Georgia legislators on behalf of nursing practice.
John Cranmer, DNP, MPH, MSN, EBP(CH), CPH, ANP – Emory University
Associate Professor / Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
A health system strategist and primary care clinician, Cranmer works on collaborative approaches to address adverse health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on low birthweight newborn survival and maternal survival in Ethiopia. He designed and led the population health track for Emory’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program and previously completed fieldwork in Kenya.
Rose Horton, MSM, RNC-OB, NEA-BC – Emory Decatur Hospital
Specialty Director of Women and Infant Services / Emory Decatur Hospital
Horton works to combat maternal morbidity and mortality. Her use of the hashtag #notonmywatch drew attention to statistics showing that Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Her work received national attention, and she was tapped by the Biden administration to participate in a public-private partnership focusing on hospital-based quality improvement activities to advance equity in maternal health.
Bonnie Proulx, DNP, APRN, PNP-BC – Emory Healthcare
Director of Advanced Practice Providers, Emory Healthcare
Adjunct Faculty Member, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Proulx oversees the work of 1,100 advanced practice providers in 11 hospitals and 250 physician practices. She has also helped further nursing and health care by developing a supporting framework for advancing nurse practitioner practice. The model’s outcomes quantify value, demonstrate increased revenue capture, enhance retention and engagement, and improve patient outcomes, and this work has been disseminated nationally through nursing organizations and peer-reviewed periodicals.
“These Emory inductees are making contributions that are helping to shape the present and future world of nursing,” says Sharon Pappas, PhD, RN, FAAN, chief nurse executive at Emory Healthcare. “Being welcomed into the American Academy of Nurses is an exceptional honor that recognizes the far-reaching impact of their work.”
The three Emory School of Nursing alums welcomed into the 2022 American Academy of Nursing class include:
Dalmacio Dennis Flores, 12N, PhD, ACRN
MSN Graduate / Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Flores is an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. His research focuses on preventing HIV/STI infection and negative mental health among sexual and gender diverse youth, looking particularly at the role of parents in sexual health education. His HIV/STI prevention work also includes community education, workforce development for nurses, and serving as a national spokesperson for HIV testing campaigns.
Safiya George, 01N, 06G, 09N, PhD, APRN-BC, FAANP, FNAP
MSN, PhD Graduate / Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
George is dean and professor at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University. A national leader in holistic health, spirituality, and HIV, George studies the health and well-being of individuals with or at risk for HIV/AIDS through psychosocial interventions focused on social determinants of health. Her latest research uses machine learning to develop a predictive model for COVID-19 outcomes.
Tingting Liu, 15G, 16G, PhD, RN
PhD Graduate / Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Liu is an associate professor in the Florida State University College of Nursing. With research areas including biobehavioral science and diabetes, she has pioneered research using genetics and epigenetics to guide precision exercise interventions to improve cognition associated with type 2 diabetes. She is also noted for her leadership with the International Society of Nurses in Genetics, Global Climate Justice Nursing Steering Committee, and Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurses Association.
The inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference on Oct. 27-29, 2022, in Washington, D.C. To learn more about the AAN, go to the American Academy of Nurses website.
About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing produces nurse leaders who are transforming healthcare through science, education, practice, and policy. Graduates go on to become national and international leaders in patient care, public health, government, research and education. Others become qualified to seek certification as nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. The doctor of nurse practice (DNP) program trains nurse anesthetists and advanced leaders in health care administration. The school also maintains a PhD program in partnership with Emory's Laney Graduate School. For more information, visit nursing.emory.edu.