Two Washington State University College of Nursing faculty have been named fellows in the nursing profession’s leading academies.
Associate Professor Connie Nguyen-Truong has been named an Academy of Nursing Education Fellow (ANEF) by the National League for Nursing.
Professor Catherine Van Son has been named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).
The two faculty members, both of whom are based at the WSU College of Nursing-Vancouver, will be inducted into their respective academies in ceremonies this fall.
“Congratulations to these two distinguished educators and nurse scientists,” said Dean Mary Koithan of the WSU College of Nursing. “They’ve made immense contributions to research and scholarship in their respective fields, to the benefit of their colleagues, their students, and to society as a whole.”
Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong, PhD, RN
Nguyen-Truong is one of 19 nurse educators selected this year for inclusion in the National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education.
NLN says of its selection process, “Evaluations take into account applicants’ contributions to innovative teaching and/or learning strategies; nursing education research; faculty development activities; academic leadership; promotion of public policy initiatives that advance nursing education; and/or collaborative educational, practice, or community partnerships.”
Nguyen-Truong teaches across undergraduate and graduate programs at the WSU College of Nursing. Last year the American Association of Colleges of Nursing honored her with the Excellence and Innovation in Teaching award, the first person from the WSU College of Nursing to receive the prestigious national award.
She has two decades of nursing experience and has been a nurse educator for 15 years. Her research and teaching focus on cultural immersion experiences and enhancing communications between nursing faculty and students and representatives of minority communities, including Micronesian Islanders, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Laotian partners. She has developed innovative, culturally safe, linguistically appropriate engagement and educational curriculums and models.
Catherine Van Son, PhD, RN
Van Son is one of 225 nurse leaders to be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
“The Academy’s Fellows embody our values of equity, diversity and inclusivity, inquiry, integrity, and courage, which enable us to achieve new heights of impact that advance health policy across the globe,” said Academy President Eileen Sullivan-Marx in announcing the 2021 cohort.
Van Son has specialized in improving care for older adults her entire nursing career.
This summer she was named to the WSU College of Nursing’s Waldron O. and Janet S. Lindblad Endowed Professorship in Geriatrics. In 2019 she was honored by the nonprofit National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing.
Her clinical experience spans over 30 years and includes the continuum of community-based care: long-term care, assisted living, PACE model care settings, home health, hospice, and congregational health. Her research reflects her long interest in gerontological nursing.
Said Dean Koithan, “We celebrate the contributions of Dr. Nguyen-Truong and Dr. Van Son and the recognition by these national academies. WSU applauds your professional and personal dedication to our profession as well as the communities that we serve.”
