Four from UAB School of Nursing named Academy fellows

UAB professor, alumnae among nurse leaders selected as fellows by the Academy of Nursing for careers that have influenced health policies and more.

cindy selleckCynthia SelleckOne faculty member and three alumnae from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing have been named fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, joining more than 60 other fellows affiliated with the UAB School of Nursing.

This year’s inductees are: Cynthia S. Selleck, Ph.D., associate dean for Clinical and Global Partnerships in the UAB School of Nursing; and alumnae Marsha Howell Adams, Ph.D., dean of the University of Alabama in Huntsville College of Nursing; Diane Von Ah, Ph.D., associate professor in the Indiana University School of Nursing; and Marietta P. Stanton, Ph.D., professor in the University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing.

The four are among 168 nurse leaders selected by the American Academy of Nursing for induction as fellows during the Academy’s 2014 Transforming Health, Driving Policy Conference on Oct. 18 in Washington, D.C. The Academy comprises more than 2,200 nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. Academy fellows include hospital and government administrators, college deans, and renowned scientific researchers. The fellows, with the addition of this newest class, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 24 countries.

Selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care and sponsorship by two current Academy fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel composed of elected and appointed fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the extent the nominee’s nursing career has influenced health policies and the health and well-being of all. New fellows will be eligible to use the credential Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, or FAAN, after their induction in October.

Selleck is working to enhance community engagement in the areas of clinical affairs, partnerships and interprofessional initiatives across the university, health system, local community and state.

Selleck, who joined UAB’s School of Nursing in October 2010, is working to enhance community engagement in the areas of clinical affairs, partnerships and interprofessional initiatives across the university, health system, local community and state. She has a long and accomplished leadership record of expanding nursing and medical education opportunities to serve clinical partners and medically underserved communities. In collaboration with the UAB School of Medicine, Selleck is director of the Area Health Education Center program that is working to recruit, support and retain health care professionals in all 67 Alabama counties. The AHEC aims to reduce health disparities by improving the quantity, diversity, distribution and quality of Alabama’s health care workforce.

Selleck is former president of the National AHEC Organization. In addition, she has spearheaded the launch of several clinics to provide health care to the underserved, including the UAB School of Nursing Foundry Clinic at The Foundry Rescue Mission and Recovery Center in Bessemer, Ala., and the PATH Clinic at MPOWER Ministries in Birmingham. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Emory University, master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University and doctorate in nursing from the UAB School of Nursing. Prior to joining UAB, Selleck served as an associate professor and director of the Area Health Education Center in the University of South Florida College of Medicine. In this role, she secured and sustained federal and state funding in excess of $50 million.

Adams earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the UAB School of Nursing and earned a postdoctoral certificate in rural case management from the University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing. She is president of the National League for Nursing and is recognized as an Academy of Nursing Education fellow. She is also a fellow in the University of Alabama and Southeastern Leadership Conference.

Von Ah is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar alumna (2008-2011) and an associate professor in the Indiana University School of Nursing. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral oncology at Indiana University in 2008 and her doctorate in nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing in 2003, her master’s degree in nursing in 1996 and bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1987 from the University of Iowa.

Stanton is a professor of nursing in the University of Alabama, Capstone College of Nursing. She is also an emerita faculty member from the University of New York at Buffalo School of Nursing. She has published a number of articles in case management, patient and provider education, and nursing leadership. Stanton earned a post-master’s certificate from the UAB School of Nursing in April 2014.