Dean Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., RN, leads the School of Nursing faculty which has 15 fellows in the American Academy of Nursing, one of the highest honors in the nursing profession.
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Contact: Rosanne Fohn, (210) 567-3079

SAN ANTONIO (Nov. 17, 2009) — Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the School of Nursing, is The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio’s newest fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). Fellowship in the AAN is one of the highest honors in the nursing profession.

Dean Breslin, the Dr. Patty L. Hawken Endowed Professor in the Department of Family Nursing Care, was inducted Nov. 7 during the academy’s 26th annual meeting and conference in Atlanta, Ga.

Since joining the Health Science Center in April 2008, Dean Breslin has focused on addressing the national nursing shortage, updating and improving the School of Nursing curricula, laying the groundwork to offer a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and improving the quality of care in South Texas through evidence-based practice.

Counting Dean Breslin, 15 members of the UT Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing are active AAN fellows.

Fellowship is a high honor in the nursing profession
“Academy fellowship is one the highest honors a nursing leader can receive,” she said. “I am proud to be a member of a group of such national distinction. And to have 14 other faculty members as fellows speaks very highly of our School of Nursing.”

In a press release announcing the names of the new fellows, AAN President Pam Mitchell, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, said, “The academy is comprised of many of the nation's top nursing executives, policymakers, scholars, researchers and practitioners. Being selected as an academy fellow is an important recognition of one’s contributions to nursing and health care.”

Selection criteria include evidence of significant contributions to nursing and health care. Each nominee must be sponsored by two current academy fellows. Selection is based, in part, on the extent to which nominees' nursing careers influence health policies for the benefit of all Americans.

Health Science Center AAN fellows
The Health Science Center’s academy fellows include:

• Kay Avant, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor and chair of the Department of Family Nursing Care and holder of the Roger L. and Laura D. Zeller Professorship in Nursing (in memory of Doris L. Heizer, RN)
  
• Margaret Brackley, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor in the Department of Family Nursing Care and director of the nurse practitioner program
  
• Carrie Jo Braden, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate dean for research and professor in the Department of Chronic Nursing Care, the Hugh Roy Cullen Professor of Nursing and professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology
  
• Eileen Breslin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing and the Dr. Patty L. Hawken Endowed Professor in the Department of Family Nursing Care
  
• Nancy Girard, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, clinical associate professor in the Department of Acute Nursing Care
  
• Barbara Holtzclaw, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor emeritus in the Department of Chronic Nursing Care
  
• Sharon Lewis, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor and holder of the Berneice Castella Distinguished Professorship in Aging Research in the Department of Acute Nursing Care, and professor in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
  
• Mary Ann Matteson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor emeritus in the Department of Family Nursing Care
  
• Mickey Parsons, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor in the Department of Acute Nursing Care and coordinator of the graduate administrative program
  
• Carol Reineck, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate professor and chair of the Department of Acute Nursing Care, and holder of the Amy Shelton & V.H. McNutt Professorship in honor of nurses of the Armed Forces
  
• Beverly Robinson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate dean for graduate nursing, director of doctoral studies, professor and the Lillie Cranz Cullen Professor of Nursing in the Department of Chronic Nursing Care
  
• Norma Martinez Rogers, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN, professor/clinical in the Department of Family Nursing Care and president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses
  
• Joseph Schmelz, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate professor/research in the Department of Acute Nursing Care and director of the Health Science Center’s Institutional Review Board
  
• Kathleen Stevens, Ed.D., RN, ANEF, FAAN, professor in the Department of Acute Nursing Care and founding director of the Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice
  
• Margaret Anne Woodtli, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, visiting professor in the Department of Chronic Nursing Care
  
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  The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the leading research institutions in Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $753.4 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $37 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 26,750 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.