PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN President(October 2023 – October 2025) Dean & Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing president@aannet.org
Dr. Linda Scott is the dean of the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Nursing. She was appointed the eighth dean of the School in July 2016 where she provides direction and leadership in educating nurses for the future
of care, strengthening the school’s research enterprise, and forging partnerships to improve health outcomes. As a leading scholar in sleep and health services research, her research on workforce issues has influenced the direction
of health policy formation as the nation struggles to provide patient-centered, quality health care amidst a significant nursing workforce shortage. Dr. Scott has also led diversity efforts across academic degrees and curricula
such as the implementation of holistic admissions review; a strategy to enhance the diversity of the nursing workforce and improve patient outcomes by having a nursing profession that mirrors the populations in which it serves.
Dr. Scott assumed the role of President of the American Academy of Nursing in October 2023. In addition, she is a Fellow of the National Academies of Practice and a member of Sigma Theta Tau honor society for nursing. Through
December 2022, Dr. Scott serves as an associate editor for Nursing Outlook, the official journal of the American Academy of Nursing. In June 2022, she accepted a nomination to become a member of the National Academies of Sciences,
Engineering, and Medicine’s Board of Health Care Services.
Dr. Scott earned her PhD in nursing from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, her master’s degree from Grand Valley State in Allendale, Michigan, and her
undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing.
PhD, FNP-BC, CNE, FAANP, ANEF, FAAN President-Elect(October 2023 – October 2025) Dean & Professor, University of North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing
Dr. Debra J. Barksdale is the Dean at the UNC Greensboro School of Nursing. Dr. Barksdale holds a PhD from the University of Michigan, a MSN from Howard University, and a BSN from the University of Virginia. In addition, she obtained a Post-Masters Certificate in teaching from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Dr. Barksdale is a certified family nurse practitioner (NP) and a certified nurse educator. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the NLN Academy of Nursing Education. Further, she is a fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing and has completed two terms on the board of directors where she also served as the liaison to the Diversity and Inclusivity Committee and three expert panels and was the 2021 Policy Conference co-chair. In addition, she is a former Department of Health and Human Services Primary Health Care Policy Fellow and a fellow of the Wharton AACN Executive Leadership Program. She also served as a Translational Research Fellow with the Wilder School of Government and Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Barksdale is a past President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). Additionally, she is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Alumnae. Previously, she was appointed to the Veteran’s Choice Act Blue Ribbon Panel which conducted an independent review of assessments of the Veteran Administration (VA) to ensure that the recommendations reported to Congress served our U.S. veterans and to transform the VA into an effective 21st Century model of service.
Dr. Barksdale was one of 19 members appointed to the 21-member Board of Governors for the new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) by the U.S. Government Accountability Office under the Obama Administration. She was the only nurse appointed to the PCORI Board for its first eight years (2010-2018). She chaired the Engagement, Dissemination, and Implementation Committee, one of the organization’s three strategy committees and served on the research proposal selection committee which confirmed which proposals would be brought to the full Board for funding.
Dr. Barksdale has exhibited a sustained commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion as evident in her NP practice history, former position in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, PhD dissertation, research and scholarship, demonstrated commitment to mentoring, presentations, publications, consultations and other work in various capacities.
PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN Secretary (October 2024 – October 2026) Ruth M. Anderson Endowed Professor & Associate Dean for Research, Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Dr. Ronald Hickman is the inaugural Ruth M. Anderson Endowed Chair and Associate Dean for Research at Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). He is a registered nurse and a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner who has provided care for patients undergoing general and cardiothoracic surgery, and patients in the intensive care unit. As a nurse scientist, Dr. Hickman is nationally known for his pioneering work focused on technology-based solutions to improve chronic disease self-management and end-of-life care. His innovative work integrates knowledge from several disciplinary domains to develop technologies and understand biobehavioral mechanisms that influence how patients, and their families make decisions and manage their health or acute illness.
Dr. Hickman’s impact on practice and science earned him several prestigious honors. He is an elected fellow of the National Academies of Practice, the Luther Christman Society, and the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Hickman is the second nurse to hold the distinction of an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine by the National Academy of Medicine. His scholarship has also garnered numerous regional and national awards and his commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion has received recognition from the American Association of Men in Nursing and the American Nurses Association.
Dr. Hickman’s continuous and highly impactful contributions to nursing science and its integration into practice have earned him great respect. He is committed to advancing diversity and inclusion to ensure a representative nursing workforce and the delivery of equitable nursing and health care.
PhD, ACNP-BC, FAHA, FAAN Treasurer (October 2023 – October 2025) Director, Nursing Research Department; Research Scientist III; Nurse Practitioner, Heart Transplantation, Mechanical Circulatory Support Programs; Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences and Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
With over 40 years of advance practice nursing experience in cardiac surgical care, ventricular assist devices, and transplantation; Dr. Coleman has paired her clinical practice with a research career focused on health disparities. Her research spans bench to bedside to community – with work on genomic transplant disparities, family caregivers, and church-based preventive blood pressure education. She has worked with teams to create numerous programs in the cardiovascular service line such as Lung volume reduction, heart, lung transplant programs, ventricular assist device program with updated training based on new devices used for research and practice.
She is the Director of Nursing Research and Quality Improvement of the Cedars-Sinai Health System. Her scientific and professional contributions have led to membership on the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Advisory Committee on Organ Transplantation (ACOT); Member National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) Committee on: A fairer and More Equitable, Cost-Effective and Transplant System of Donor Organ Procurement, Allocation, and Distribution; Chair, Genomic Nursing and Health Care Expert Panel for the Academy of Nursing, National Mentor, National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA) and Advisory Council, UC Davis Betty Moore Nursing Innovation Fellowship. On 28 July 2023, Congress authorized an overhaul of the United States Organ Transplant system based on the sentinel work of the NASEM committee.
PhD, RN, FAAN Board Member (December 2024 – October 2026) Interim President, Research College of Nursing
Dr. Nancy O. DeBasio has worked in higher education for more than 50 years holding both faculty and administrative positions. She is the Interim President of Research College of Nursing. Dr. DeBasio served two two-year terms on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Board of Directors. She chaired the Governmental Affairs Committee during her tenure on the Board. Dr. DeBasio was selected as one of three consultants to serve as a member of the AACN Leadership Task Force for the development of the 2021 Essentials. Dr. DeBasio has served as a team chair for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) since 2003 conducting over 40 visits. She was an appointed member of the CCNE 2018 Standards Review Committee.
As the first nurse, Dr. DeBasio chaired the Research Medical Center Board of Trustees from 2019-2023 and currently serves as a member. During her tenure, the medical center was the host hospital for all COVID patients in the HCA seven hospital division. Her service to the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Kansas City spans 15 years with the most recent four as president of the VNA Foundation. Dr. DeBasio was appointed to the Kansas City Hospice Board of Directors where she served as chair of the Professional Development Committee. She received the AACN 2012 Advocate of the Year award for her efforts to advance legislation related to nursing education, practice and research. Dr. DeBasio was also the recipient of the Distinguished Graduate of Wagner College award for her contributions to the community as a leader in higher education and nursing.
DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN Board Member (October 2024 – October 2026) Chief Clinical Officer, Symplr
Susan Grant has operated in healthcare for over 30 years. Her wealth of experience in various roles such as Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Beaumont Health in Detroit, Michigan, has led to incredible achievements, including leading the nursing practice of over 10,000 nurses across all care settings and overseeing successful Magnet redesignation of two hospitals. In addition, she helped secure the initial designation of four of eight hospitals in the system at that time.
Grant received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Psychiatric/Community Mental Health Nursing from the University of South Carolina and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia. She is currently the chair-elect of the Building Health Systems Excellence expert panel with the American Academy of Nursing, is a member of the Nurse Executive Council for The Beryl Institute and serves on the Board of Directors for the Daisy Foundation Board.
PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, FAAN Board Member (October 2023 – October 2025) Dean & Laura Lee Blanton Chair in Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing
Dr. Eun-Ok Im is Dean, Professor, and Laura Lee Blanton Chair at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. Dr. Im received a BSN (magna cum laude) and an MPH from Seoul National University in South Korea. She received her second master’s degree (MSN) from UCSF, and finally a PhD in Nursing from UCSF in 1997. She also completed 1.5 years of postdoctoral studies with Dr. Afaf I. Meleis at UCSF. Dean Im is an internationally known methodologist and theorist in global women’s health, addressing gender and ethnic disparities in health/illness experiences of midlife women. Over two decades, Dr. Im has successfully solicited NIH funding to support her research including five R01s, one R21, and one R61/R33 as PI, with about 450 publications (232 refereed journal articles published or in press). By developing the theoretical and methodological structures and frameworks for ethical and culturally sensitive research in the Digital Age, Dr. Im’s studies have led and impacted over 200 students and researchers far beyond the scope of her own work. Her leadership is also reflected in her national and international service (president of the Asian American Pacific Islander Nurses Association, editor in chief of Advances in Nursing Science).
Dr. Im is a pioneer and leader in the use of computer and mobile technologies to study the experiences of racial/ethnic minority women and to eliminate gender and ethnic disparities globally. Her research began in the late 1990s when advanced computer and mobile technologies began to emerge, and it continued with additional technological and theoretical advances. She has made groundbreaking contributions in Internet-based research methodologies and the articulation of techniques for dealing with complex sets of data using fuzzy logic (an early machine learning method) and for providing culturally tailored interventions for racial/ethnic minorities. Additionally, situation specific theories that Dr. Im proposed in the late 1990s are now considered as major types of nursing theories by the level of abstraction that are based on sensitivity to the uniqueness and diversity in health/illness experience and a deep concern for questions of social and health disparities. Situation-specific theory with high specificity has proven especially useful as a guide for developing and adapting tailored/targeted interventions for underserved populations.
Due to her pioneering and ground-breaking contributions to nursing science, she has received numerous national and international awards including the 2014 International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame Award from the Sigma Theta Tau International, the 2020 Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science (CANS) Outstanding Nurse Scientist Award, the 2022 SNRS Distinguished Researcher Award, the 2022 FNINR Faye Glenn Abdellah Research Leadership Award, the 2023 Oncology Nursing Society Distinguished Researcher Award, and the 2023 Helen Nahm Research Lecture Award. In 2019, she received the Global Mentor Award from the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing for her work in mentoring international doctoral students and serving as a role model in doctoral education in nursing and research. She was also selected in 2019 to be one of the 2019 NINR Director’s lecturers.
PhD, RN, APRN, FAANP, FAAN Board Member (October 2024 – October 2025) Dean and Professor, Kent State University College of Nursing
Versie Johnson-Mallard is a recognized national leader with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), National League for Nursing (NLN) and American Academy of Nursing (AAN) who works as an agent for collaborative opportunities for faculty, staff and students. Her strategic vision for the College of Nursing is to work collectively with other academic units on building research, scholarship and education initiatives.
Dr. Johnson-Mallard led funding collaborations with NASEM and National Institutes of Health (NIH) and engaged academic institutions, such as the UF Health Cancer Center, in developing interprofessional scientific innovations on cancer technology, prevention and management. Her research focus is on first generation and underserved populations of health care professionals and health consumers in the field of reproductive health methodology, culturally specific interventions as well as identifying strategies which may be used to inhibit the oncogenic activity of high-risk HPV genotypes.
PhD, RN, FAAN Board Member (October 2023 – October 2025) Joseph Blades Centennial Memorial Professor in Nursing; Director: Indigenous Nursing Research Enhancement (INRE) Post-Doc Fellowship Program; The University of Texas at Austin, School of Nursing
John Lowe, PhD, RN, FAAN is the Joseph Blades Centennial Memorial Professor in Nursing and the Director of the Indigenous Nursing Research Enhancement Post-Doc Fellowship Program at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. He is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program at the University of Texas at Austin and an Indigenous Scholar Affiliate of the University of Southern Queensland in Ipswich, Australia. He is an alumnus of the American Nurses Association Ethnic Minority Fellowship predoctoral program, and has served as the Chair of the National Advisory Committee. He recently served as an appointed member to the National Advisory Council of the National Institutes of Nursing Research. Dr. Lowe is the first Native American man to receive a PhD degree in Nursing and to be inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. He developed the first Indigenous Nursing Research Center and hosted the first and third International Indigenous Nursing Research Summits.
Dr. Lowe has represented Native American and Indigenous health care professionals in many national and international forums and with national leaders and actively serves in elected, appointed, advisory and consultant positions among national and international health organizations and editorial boards. He has provided health-care services and research consultation to underserved and disadvantaged groups in several countries and advocates for the culturally competent health care of Native Americans and Indigenous people globally. He developed the cultural-based Native-Reliance model that is being used to guide research studies among Native American and Indigenous populations.
Dr. Lowe also developed the Talking Circle intervention that addresses the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of Native American and Indigenous youth. The Talking Circle intervention has been noted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs as a “Promising Evidence-Based Program” for the well-being of youth, recognized as the first manualized Talking Circle intervention, featured as one of the American Academy of Nursing’s “Edge Runners,” innovators, and is featured in The Future of Nursing 2020-2030. Dr. Lowe also co-authored the Native American Nursing Conceptual Framework which is being used to guide nursing curriculums. His work has received several acknowledgments including his recent induction into the Researcher Hall of Fame in the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Dr. Lowe has presented nationally and internationally and has published several articles and books that report the findings of his research.
PhD, PHNA-BC, RN, ANEF, FAAN Board Member (October 2024 – October 2026) Professor, Dean Emerita, Saint Louis University Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing
Teri Murray is professor and dean emerita of the Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing at Saint Louis University which offers baccalaureate through doctoral education programs. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in Nursing from Saint Louis University, a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, a PhD in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University and a certificate in Management and Leadership in Education from Harvard University.
Dr. Murray has been actively involved in workforce development and governmental affairs at state and national levels. She skillfully uses regulatory, public, and legislative policy to promote and lead innovation in nursing education and healthcare. Dr. Murray has worked tirelessly to advance diversity in nursing education and the nursing workforce. Her research and policy interests are focused on the social determinants of health, population health, and the interplay between social environment and health outcomes.
Dr. Murray is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Program, and is a recipient of the Salute to Excellence Healthcare Award for Stellar Performance. She has numerous publications, presents nationally, and has been funded for various innovative educational initiatives.
PhD, RN, FAAN Chief Executive Officer, American Academy of Nursing
Suzanne Miyamoto is the CEO of the American Academy of Nursing (Academy). With two decades of policy, advocacy, and non-profit experience, Dr. Miyamoto provides visionary and strategic leadership to help the organization achieve its mission to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.
Dr. Miyamoto is highly regarded for her expertise in public policy and developing strong partnerships to advance sound policy solutions that are evidence-informed, patient-centered, and community-oriented. Throughout her career, she has worked with a wide network of stakeholders across the health care industry from insurers to consumer organizations. She is a successful leader in the development of advocacy-based coalitions reaching Congress and the Administration. Prior to her position at the Academy, Dr. Miyamoto served as the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) Chief Policy Officer. In her 12 years of service at AACN, Dr. Miyamoto supported the membership as a policy analyst, advocate, and strategist at the federal level. She simultaneously led the Nursing Community Coalition— the largest national nursing coalition focused on elevating the voice of the profession in health policy discussions.
Dr. Miyamoto is a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Leadership Consortium, the National Quality Forum’s Board of Directors, the Sibley Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees, and the National Minority Quality Forum’s Advisory Board. Currently, Dr. Miyamoto holds a faculty appointment at Georgetown University, School of Nursing.
Dr. Miyamoto received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Master of Science in Nursing, and Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
About the Board of Directors
The Academy is governed by a 10-member board of directors, elected by the Fellows. Board members oversee the Academy's strategic planning and financial management.
