By Erica Techo
Two University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing faculty have been named Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, a reflection of their contributions in the areas of clinical practice, education, research and professional advocacy that are deemed consistent with the high standards of the organization.
Associate Professor and Nurse Anesthesia DNP Pathway Director Susan McMullan, PhD, CRNA, CNE, CHSE, FAANA, and Associate Professor and PhD Program Director Edwin Aroke, PhD, CRNA, FAANA, were inducted as Fellows during the AANA 2022 Annual Congress held in Chicago in August.
Susan McMullan, PhD, CRNA, CNE, CHSE, FAANA
McMullan has been a CRNA for more than 30 years, with clinical experience in all forms of anesthesia. She has more than 10 years of experience as a nurse anesthesia didactic and simulation educator and program director. In addition to receiving more than $500,000 in Health Resources and Services Administration traineeship grant funding, she has received an additional $50,000 in AANA Foundation Doctoral, Post-Doctoral Fellowship and general grants for her work on nurse anesthesia and patient safety. She’s serving a second term on the Board of Directors for the National Board of Certification & Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA) and will serve as Vice President beginning in fall 2022. In 2021, the Alabama Association of Nurse Anesthetists presented McMullan with the Outstanding Advocacy and Service to the CRNA Profession Award.
“I am humbled to receive this honor and pledge to continue to support the profession in every way,” McMullan said.
Edwin Aroke, PhD, CRNA, FAANA, FAAN
Aroke is a CRNA and nurse scientist whose program of research focuses on racial pain disparities. He is an active member of AANA, the International Society of Nurses in Genetics and the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain. He serves on the Evaluation and Research Advisory Committee of the NBCRNA and the Committee on Committees of USASP.
“I am delighted and honored to receive this recognition. While I am being recognized as an individual, I must emphasize that the impactful work that I lead takes a village—trainees, mentors, family, friends, research team and the UAB School of Nursing leadership,” said Aroke, who has been recognized by AANA three years in a row.
In 2020, Aroke was named Didactic Instructor of the Year, 2021 AANA’s John F. Garde Researcher of the Year, and 2022 FAANA. He currently has a $1.7 million, four-year R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the cause of racial differences in chronic lower back pain. Aroke is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.