skip to Main Content

Downing named American Academy of Nursing fellow

Texas A&M College of Nursing associate professor earns highest honor in nursing, joining four fellow faculty as a highly distinguished nurse leader recognized by the AAN

Nancy Downing, PhD, RN, CP-SANE, SANE-A and associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Nursing, has been selected by the American Academy of Nursing as a member of the 2019 class of Academy fellows (FAAN). Downing will join 230 fellow inductees at the Academy’s annual policy conference, Transforming Health, Driving Policy, in Washington, D.C. this fall.

“I am proud to welcome this incredible class of leaders to the American Academy of Nursing,” said Academy President Karen Cox, PhD, RN, FACHE, FAAN. “Their amazing accomplishments have changed health and health care across the country and around the globe. I look forward to celebrating the new fellows at our 2019 policy conference and working with them in the future so that our collective knowledge can impact and influence health policy.”

Through a competitive and rigorous process, a committee of elected fellows reviews hundreds of applications. The new fellows are selected based on their impressive contributions to increase access, reduce cost and improve quality through nursing theory, practice and science. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career where their accomplishments are honored by those within the nursing discipline.

Downing conducts research in the field of forensic health care as a co-investigator on a National Institute of Justice study on use of alternate light sources and bruise visibility, project evaluator on a $1.5 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to expand sexual assault nurse examiners in Texas, co-principal investigator on a HRSA sub grant examining nationwide trends in intimate partner violence, principal investigator on a Texas A&M T3 study on effects of emergency contraception on fear learning and a Texas A&M-funded pilot study examining biomarkers of PTSD after sexual assault. Originally appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in November 2016 to serve on the Texas Forensic Science Commission as the first forensic nurse, forensic nurse scientist and educator to serve, Downing was reappointed to the commission this past April. She is actively involved in the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) and was recently elected to the IAFN board of directors as a director-at-large serving a two-year term through 2020. She currently serves on the IAFN Title IX and Campus Sexual Assault and Research Committees.

“Induction into the American Academy of Nursing is the highest honor in the profession of nursing,” said Nancy Fahrenwald, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, dean and professor at the Texas A&M College of Nursing. “Nancy is well-respected for her excellence in impactful scholarship, teaching and clinical practice.”

Downing joins four other faculty within the College of Nursing that have earned this recognition including Nancy Fahrenwald, PhD, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, dean and professor; Stacey Mitchell, DNP, MBA, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P, DF-AFN, FAAN, clinical associate professor; Nora Montalvo-Liendo, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant professor; and Dan Sheridan, Ph.D., RN, FNE, SANE-A, FAAN, professor.

The newest addition of fellows within this class represents 38 states and the District of Columbia as well as 17 countries. The Academy currently includes more than 2,600 nurse leaders in education, management, practice, policy and research. Each have been recognized for their extraordinary commitment to the promotion of the public’s health through evidence and innovation.

Media contact: Dee Dee Grays, grays@tamu.edu, 979.436.0611

Kala McCain

Back To Top