Dawn Lee Garzon

Dawn Lee Garzon, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners during its national conference in June at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Garzon, of O’Fallon, Mo., said her induction is an incredible professional honor. “The academy members are leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care in the United States and other nations,” she said. “I am confident that some academy members will play prominent roles in the national debates on health care reform and access.”

The fellow program was established in 2000 to recognize nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through clinical practice, research, education or policy. Priority initiatives of FAANP are the development of leadership and mentorship programs for nurse practitioners and students.

Fellows are committed to the global advancement of nursing and hold an annual symposium to strategize about the future of nurse practitioners and health care. A limited number of nurse practitioners are selected to participate each year in the event, which is considered a highly coveted distinction.

AANP was founded in 1985 and is the oldest, largest and only full-service national professional organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. It represents the interests of the approximate 125,000 nurse practitioners around the country. AANP continually advocates for the active role of nurse practitioners as providers of high-quality, cost-effective and personalized healthcare. Visit http://www.aanp.org for more information about AANP.