LITTLE ROCK — Two College of Nursing faculty at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) were recently inducted as fellows to the American Academy of Nursing.
Ellyn E. Matthews, PhD, RN, and Angela L. Green, PhD, RN, were two of 163 nurse leaders to be inducted Oct. 17 in Washington, D.C., as part of the academy’s annual policy conference, Transforming Health, Driving Policy.
They join fellow College of Nursing faculty members Claudia Beverly, PhD, RN, director of the Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence at UAMS, and Jean McSweeney, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for research in the College of Nursing, as American Academy of Nursing fellows.
“Being recognized as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, which includes nursing leaders from all disciplines, is a wonderful honor,” said Patricia A. Cowan, PhD, RN, dean of the College of Nursing. “Both Dr. Green and Dr. Matthews are deserving recipients and we are delighted they have received this recognition.”
Matthews serves as an associate professor in the College of Nursing and holds the Elizabeth Stanley Cooper Endowed Chair in Oncology Nursing.
Her nursing career has comprised research, administration, clinical care and leadership appointments at various medical centers and institutions, including Seton Hall University, Rutgers University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
She remains an active researcher and has served as principal investigator on numerous projects, including an NIH-funded grant from 2007 to 2011 on cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia after breast cancer treatment. She has authored several scholarly articles and lectured nationally. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing, Oncology Nursing Society, and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Matthews is certified in advanced oncology nursing and behavioral sleep medicine.
“It’s an honor to be inducted into the society,” said Matthews. “More than anything, I look forward to being able to work with other fellows of the academy to improve health care policy and practice.”
Green is a clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing, a graduate of the College of Nursing PhD program and the college’s first graduate PhD to receive this honor. She also is the vice president of Performance Improvement at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.
She is actively involved in national efforts to eliminate preventable harm in children’s health care and remains engaged in research on evidence-based practice implementation and patient safety. Green served as an associate editor of the Journal of Pediatric Nursing from 2010-2013, and was recognized by the Society of Pediatric Nurses for Excellence in Nursing Research in 2012.
“I feel incredibly privileged to have been recognized by the academy,” said Green. “I am so grateful for the teams that I have worked with over the years and for what we have accomplished together.”
There are more than 2,300 fellows in the American Academy of Nursing, including nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research. Fellows include hospital and government administrators, college deans and renowned scientific researchers.
Induction signifies a responsibility to enhance the quality of health and nursing, promote healthy aging and human development, reduce health disparities and inequalities, and shape health behaviors and environments, among other goals.