Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is renowned for her influence and advocacy to raise the voice, visibility, and stature of nurses to lead health care delivery, policy development, and promotion of health worldwide. Her 40-year career in leadership positions in various organizations, spanning academic and practice, highlights her commitment to improving care through safe and supportive nursing environments. Dr. Cipriano has served as Dean of the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Nursing and the Chief Clinical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer at UVA Health, which earned its initial Magnet® designation under her leadership. She championed the nation’s four million registered nurses throughout her two terms as President of the American Nurses Association (ANA), during which the ANA established their Healthy Nurse, Healthy Nation initiative to improve nurse well-being. She continues to advocate for safe nursing environments and the well-being of the global workforce of 28 million nurses in her current position as President of the International Council of Nurses. Her exceptional ability to link the advancement of the profession to health security, quality of care, economic growth, and improved health outcomes has transformed health delivery around the world.

Martha A.Q. Curley, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an internationally recognized nurse scientist who has made extraordinary contributions to advance the discipline of pediatric critical care. Dr. Curley is a Professor of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and serves as the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing Science, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Her substantial body of innovative, nurse-led, and interdisciplinary research has transformed care delivery for critically ill children, improved support for families, and elevated the scope of pediatric nursing globally. She has served as principal investigator on numerous multisite clinical trials funded by multiple branches of the National Institutes of Health. Her landmark clinical trials and publications established first-ever pediatric-validated instruments to assess patient status and health risks, provided evidence to support nurse-led interventions, and undergirded standards of care implemented across pediatric intensive care units. Dr. Curley is best known for her extensive work in articulating nurse competencies centered on holistic patient and family needs and demonstrating the significant role bedside nurses play in achieving optimal patient outcomes. She is the author of many seminal publications including Synergy: The Unique Relationship Between Nurses and Patients.

Mary O'Neil Mundinger, DrPH, RN, FAAN, has made an enduring impact on nursing education, and practice throughout her storied career. Dr. Mundinger is the Edward M. Kennedy Professor of Health Policy and Dean Emeritus of Columbia University School of Nursing. As Dean, Dr. Mundinger revitalized the nursing school and launched its Doctor of Nursing Practice program, establishing the first clinical nursing doctorate. Dr. Mundinger has shown relentless commitment to elevating the profession’s status. One of her many pioneering publications showed that patient health outcomes were equivalent or better when receiving care from nurse practitioners versus physicians, paving the way for policy change. Building off this work, she founded the first nursing school faculty practice, Columbia Advanced Practice Nurse Associates, where nurse practitioners hold commercial managed care contracts and have the same compensation rate as primary care physicians. She has leveraged her expertise and amplified the voice of nursing through her service on numerous Boards of Directors for large healthcare companies and through federal advisory appointments such as the White House National Steering Committee on Health and the Special Medical Advisory Group to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Madeline A. Naegle, PhD, CNS-PMH-BC, FAAN, has profoundly influenced psychiatric/mental health nursing practice and policy through her work to advance addictions nursing, now a recognized subspecialty. Dr. Naegle is Professor Emerita at New York University’s (NYU) Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Notably, she championed the integration of behavioral health, including substance use disorders, into health professional education and practice to promote evidence-based care for persons with severe substance use and other mental health disorders. Her advocacy for highly stigmatized populations focuses on well-being and holistic health, a hallmark of Dr. Naegle’s career, she successfully spurred a surge in support and peer assistance for nurses with mental health and substance use disorders. As founding Deputy Director of NYU’s World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Gerontological Nursing Education, she has implemented educational programs, disseminated best practices, and expanded international recognition of key nursing competencies in mental health and the care of older adults. Dr. Naegle is the founding Editor of the Journal of Addictions Nursing, and her groundbreaking work is widely circulated in peer reviewed journals, policy statements and book chapters, and continues to positively impact mental health care practice globally.

Adeline “Adey” M. Nyamathi, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a prolific researcher dedicated to improving health outcomes for individuals living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. Dr. Nyamathi is a Distinguished Professor and Founding Dean Emeritus of the University of California Irvine, Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. She has led 32 NIH awards as principal investigator leading teams in developing effective and state-of-the-art interventions using community-based participatory research methods to address significant health disparities for people experiencing homelessness and incarceration, and those struggling with addiction, stigma, and discrimination. Her findings have clearly demonstrated the positive impact of nurse-led community health models in populations lacking access to healthcare, thus reducing health inequities for those who need it most. She has made a global impact through her pioneering work in India to model the effect of a comprehensive program featuring nutritional supplementation, life sustaining skills, and the co-engagement of nurses, lay village women, and other specialists in providing education and support to women living with HIV/AIDS. Dr. Nyamathi is an exceptional leader who has advanced nursing science and public health in the US and abroad.

The Academy’s Health Policy Conference and Living Legends Ceremony will be held on the evening of October 6, 2023 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC. This event is a special tribute to innovation, research, and leadership where colleagues, family, friends, Fellows, and sponsors can gather together in Washington, DC to celebrate the power and legacy of nursing’s impact. Learn more about the Academy and visit the policy conference website for more details.