The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) will induct Emory University nurse educator Elizabeth Downes, MPH, MSN, RN, FNP, into its 2012 Fellowship class at the organization's 27th Annual Conference in Orlando in June.
Induction into the AANP Fellowship is considered one of the highest honors for nurse practitioners. Fellows are elected through a highly selective process that recognizes nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through clinical practice, research, education and policy.
"The AANP has done a remarkable job of representing NPs at local, state and federal levels. However, most people do not realize that over 70 countries now have Advance Practice Nursing," says Downes. "I look forward to working with the AANP to advance the role of nurse practitioners throughout the world. It is an honor that would not have been possible without the leadership and support of colleagues, family and friends."
Since joining Emory's School of Nursing in 1994, Downes has been a pioneer in global health. She has more than 25 years of international nursing experience having worked in more than a dozen countries including Ethiopia, Mozambique, Fiji, Liberia and Zimbabwe. Downes also is known for her extensive efforts to provide health care to Atlanta’s refugee population and migrant farm workers in rural Georgia.
She is an international expert on training nurses in developing countries. In 2011, she co-authored the book, Educating Health Professionals in Low-Resource Countries: A Global Approach, which focuses on preparing health educators in international settings.
Downes received a bachelor of arts in political science from Fordham University. She earned a master of science in nursing from the University of Tennessee, and a master of public health from Emory University.
About the Academy
The AANP was founded in 1985 and is the oldest, largest, and only full-service national professional organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. AANP represents the interests of more than 148,000 NPs currently practicing in the U. S. and continually advocates at local, state, and federal levels for the recognition of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, and personalized health care.