Faculty and alumni to be inducted into American Academy of Nursing

composite image of two professional headshots.

UIC College of Nursing associate dean for academic affairs Liz Aquino, PhD ’13, RN, and assistant professor Hongjin Li, PhD, RN, will be inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as part of the 2024 class of new fellows.

“Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing,” said Academy President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN. “Earning the FAAN 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.”

Aquino has been a registered nurse for more than 15 years with clinical experience in surgical-trauma intensive care nursing. She serves as a voice for nurses on local and national boards, including as past president of the Illinois chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and former president of the American Nurses Association-Illinois. She founded Nurses Running for Elected Office, a six-month program within ANA-Illinois, which provides training and resources for RNs who want to seek local, state and federal offices. Aquino is also one of the co-creators of the Bill and Brittany Conway PREPARE program, a cutting-edge summer prep course for incoming prelicensure students at UIC Nursing.

Li is principal investigator on an NIH-funded study examining the use of acupuncture to manage breast cancer symptoms among patients in Federally Qualified Health Center oncology clinics. She also is co-investigator on a grant funded by the CDC and focused on reducing disparities in survival and quality of life due to race, ethnicity and other social determinants of health among young breast cancer survivors in Chicago. With a master’s degree in biostatistics from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, she has multidisciplinary experience in oncology, symptom science, omics, acupuncture intervention and biostatistics. Li first came to UIC Nursing to complete a postdoc in 2021.

Seven UIC Nursing alumni join Aquino and Li in the 2024 class of Fellows:

  • Aney Abraham, DNP ’18, RN, NE-BC, Rush University Medical Center
  • Alison Hernandez (deferred from 2023), PhD ’18, RN, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
  • Julie Hoff, PhD ’99, MSN ’93, RN, CENP, University of Oklahoma Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing
  • Cynthia M. LaFond, PhD ’13, RN, CCRN-K, Ascension
  • Jenny O’Rourke, PhD ’12, MSN ’01, APRN, CHSE, Loyola University Chicago Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health
  • Beena S. Peters, DNP ’17, MSN ’94, RN, FACHE, FABC, Cook County Hospital and Health System
  • Keesha L. Powell-Roach, PhD ’18, RN, University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing

Inductees will be recognized for their substantial and sustained impact on health and health care at the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in Washington, DC.

The 2024 class of Fellows, selected from a competitive pool of applicants, 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. They represent 37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and 14 countries.

*Please let us know if we’ve missed any of our alumni among the 2024 class of Fellows.

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