Meredith Wallace Kazer, Ph.D., APRN, associate professor of nursing at Fairfield University, will be inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), an appointment reserved for nurse leaders at the forefront of the profession nationwide. A New Haven, Connecticut resident, Dr. Kazer's research interests focus on nursing care meeting the needs of older adults.

Selection is based, in part, on the extent to which nominees' nursing careers influence health policies and health care delivery for the benefit of all Americans. "Selection for membership in the Academy is one of the most prestigious honors in the field of nursing," said Academy President Catherine L. Gilliss, DNSc, RN, FAAN. "Academy Fellows are truly experts. The Academy Fellowship represents the nation's top nurse researchers, policymakers, scholars, executives, educators and practitioners."

Dr. Kazer, an adult and gerontological nurse practitioner, is currently working on several funded research studies aimed at supporting the psychosocial needs of men with prostate cancer. She has varied her research to include independent and collaborative research projects focused on the education of nurses toward the care of older adults.

"I am so honored to be included among such a distinguished group of nursing colleagues in the American Academy of Nursing," said Kazer, who maintains a practice in primary care with a focus on chronic illness in older adults. "As my career progresses, I pledge to work tirelessly in the continuation of my research and wide dissemination of education and outcomes, in order to fulfill the mission and initiatives of this prestigious organization."

In becoming a fellow, Kazer, who earned degrees from New York University, Yale and Boston University, joins numerous professors at Fairfield's School of Nursing who are already members of this esteemed group. The mission of the AAN is to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge.

The academy is made up of more than 1,600 nursing leaders in education, management, practice, policy, and research. Leadership positions held by academy fellows include university presidents, chancellors, and deans; state and federal political appointees; hospital chief executives and vice presidents for nursing; researchers and entrepreneurs; and practicing nurses.

A fall induction ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C.

"I congratulate all of these new Fellows," said Gilliss, "and look forward to honoring their accomplishments in October, when we will engage them in advancing health policy to improve the health of the nation."

Posted On: 06-23-2011 11:06 AM

Volume: 43 Number: 328