New AACN Faculty Scholar Grant Recipients Announcedby the Foundation for Academic Nursing

WASHINGTON, DC – October 28, 2021 – The Foundation for Academic Nursing, the philanthropic arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 recipients of the AACN Faculty Scholars Grant Program. The nurse educators to receive funding to launch scholarly projects are Dr. Laurie Kennedy-Malone from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for her work on Enhancing Nurse Practitioner Competency-Based Education and Assessment with Innovative Video Simulations, and Dr. Kristen Munyan from Oakland University for her work on Enhancing Laboratory Infrastructure to Support At-Risk and ESL Students.

“In keeping with its strategic priorities, AACN is pleased to recognize our latest Faculty Scholars for their commitment to advancing competency-based education and creating inclusive learning environments,” said Dr. Deborah Trautman, AACN’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “I applaud Dr. Kennedy-Malone and Dr. Munyan for their groundbreaking work to generate new nursing knowledge, lead change, and transform how nurses are educated, conduct research, and practice.”

The AACN Board of Directors approved the Faculty Scholars Grant Program in 2019 to spotlight the innovative work led by nurse educators to redesign teaching and learning at schools of nursing. Funding was provided by more than 150 nursing schools and organizations that contributed to AACN’s 50th Anniversary Celebration program. Through this initiative, a total of $100,000 in funding has been disbursed to support innovative faculty projects. Click here for details about the last year's awardees.

Meet the New AACN Faculty Scholars

Following a competitive process involving 57 applications from faculty nationwide, the following individuals were selected to receive $25,000 to support their scholarly efforts:

Laurie Kennedy Malone, PhD, GNP-BC FAANP, FAGHE, FGSA, has been a certified gerontological nurse practitioner since 1982 and a professor of nursing at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) since 1990. She is a Fellow of the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and the Gerontological Society of America. She was the 2007 recipient of the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing Geriatric Nursing Faculty Champion and the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners' Excellence in Education Award in 2006. In November 2018, she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for Excellence as a Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing by the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence. She coauthored Integrating Gerontological Content into Advanced Practice Nursing Education (Springer, 2010) and Advanced Practice Nursing in the Care of Older Adults, (FA Davis, 2014 and 2019). Both books received AJN Book of the Year Awards. She has authored over 35 peer reviewed publications. A former president of the National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners, she later served as a Director at Large of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA). In 2020, Dr. Kennedy-Malone received the Excellence in Leadership Award from GAPNA and, most recently, the Excellence in Creativity & Innovation, Edith Moore Copeland Founders Award from Sigma Theta Tau International. 

Kristen Munyan, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, is an Assistant Professor and the Undergraduate Program Director at Oakland University School of Nursing in Rochester, Michigan. An alumna of Oakland's BSN (2008) and MSN (2010) programs, Dr. Munyan returned to Oakland University as faculty in 2017 after receiving her DNP and family nurse practitioner training from Wayne State University. Her research focus has involved identifying and addressing health disparities in foundational nursing assessments and interventions with specific interest in the utility of technology to address these needs. She is currently a co-PI on a study of the accuracy of nursing assessments of pain and dyspnea via telehealth. In her current role, she hopes to apply this focus on technology and vulnerable populations to enhancing equity in nursing education within the undergraduate program and promoting a diverse nursing workforce. Dr. Munyan instructs courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs at Oakland University and continues to practice in the community setting.

Contributing to the Foundation for Academic Nursing

The Foundation for Academic Nursing is currently seeking support from philanthropies, corporate donors, and individuals looking to advance AACN’s goals and priorities. Your support will help to expand our impact and usher in new innovations in nursing education and practice. Those wishing to support the AACN Faculty Scholars program and other initiatives are encouraged to donate online via the AACN Web site. Click here to see a list of current donors. For more information, please contact AACN’s Foundation Director, Dr. Katie Fioravanti, at kfioravanti@aacnnursing.org.