The American Academy of Nursing has announced the 2024 Class of New Fellows; among them are UConn’s own Dr. Eileen Carter (Ph.D., RN) and Dr. Mallory Perry-Eaddy (Ph.D., RN, CCRN). The 2024 Class of Fellows represents a cross-section of nursing’s most dynamic leaders who are making positive changes in their systems and communities to champion health and wellness.  

“I am thrilled to welcome these impressive nurse leaders into our organization. With exceptional subject matter expertise, each new Fellow will be vital to achieve the Academy’s mission of improving health and achieving health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science,” said Academy President Linda D. Scott (Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN). “Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing. Earning the FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) credential is a significant recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the future impact they will make in collaboration with their colleagues in the Academy.” 

The newest Fellows represent 37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and 14 countries. Their expansive body of knowledge will soon bolster the collective impact of over 3,000 Academy Fellows who, together, leverage their expertise to advance the Academy’s vision of healthy lives for all people. The Health Policy Conference will be taking place on October 31 – November 2, 2024, in Washington, DC. This year’s conference theme is “Courageous Transformations Towards an Equitable Future.” 

Dr. Eileen Carter is an Assistant Professor focused on the engagement of nurses and patients to improve the judicious use of antibiotics and combat antibiotic resistance. Dr. Carter reflected, “It’s truly an honor to receive this award that recognizes my work to engage nurses in antibiotic stewardship and my contributions to academic-practice partnerships.” Dr. Carter currently serves on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Infection Control and is the only nurse member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Antimicrobial Stewardship Curriculum Subcommittee. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, and the Robert Leet Patterson and Clara Guthrie Patterson Trust. Most recently from 2022-2024, Dr. Carter received funding from the Research Foundation of the Competency and Credentialing Institute to test the feasibility of an implementation strategy to improve nurses’ comprehensive assessment of penicillin allergies, with the goal of improving antibiotic selection. Her work was a Top Featured Poster Abstract at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Spring 2024 Conference, and she appears on the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology (ASHE) podcast to further describe her research. In addition to her research, Dr. Carter pioneered an innovative academic-practice partnership program that received the New Era for Academic Nursing Award from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Characterized by a PhD-prepared faculty member dually appointed in a research role between a school of nursing and health system, the academic-practice partnership model has been described as a “significant contribution” and “inspiring” (Finnell & Castner, Nursing Outlook, 2020).

Dr. Mallory Perry-Eaddy is an Assistant Professor whose research focuses on pediatric critical care outcomes as they relate to inflammation and social determinants of health. Receiving her BSN, Certificate in Pain Management, MS, and PhD from the UConn School of Nursing, Dr. Perry-Eaddy has been with the school for many years. she is currently an active member of the International Society of Nurses in Genetics, Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators, American Thoracic Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine. In 2022, she was named a National Institute of Health (NIH) PRIDE Functional and Translational Genomics Summer Institute Trainee, and in 2021, Dr. Perry-Eaddy was named a NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC Scholar of which she is currently funded. She is an active member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Pediatric Acute Lung Injury and Sepsis Investigators, American Thoracic Society and the Society of Critical Care Medicine where she is an editorial board member for Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. 

Alumnae Mary Ann Camilleri ‘78, Christine Rodriguez ‘16, ’19, Dr. Lisa A. Wiese ’91, Dr. Jane K. Dickinson ’00, and Lisa A. Davis ‘83 were also selected as 2024 fellows, following a competitive, rigorous application process.   

“We are thrilled to welcome Eileen, Mallory and all of our UConn Nursing Alumni to this prestigious community of nurse leaders,” says Victoria Vaughan Dickson (Ph.D., RN, FAAN), Dean of the School of Nursing. “As one of nursing’s highest honors, the American Academy of Nursing induction is a recognition of the tremendous expertise of these individuals and the impressive contributions they have made throughout their careers to improve the health of individuals and communities, locally and globally.”    

The School of Nursing would like to congratulate these newest Fellows as influential nursing leaders who are advancing health equity for all.