Two U of M School of Nursing Faculty Inducted as Fellows into the American Academy of Nursing

Mueller and Olson Keller selected for continued contributions to nursing and health care

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Nov. 12, 2007) -- Two University of Minnesota School of Nursing faculty members, Christine A. Mueller and Linda Olson Keller, were inducted as Fellows into the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) at the Academy’s 34th annual conference on Saturday. The AAN selects fellows based on the nominee’s contributions to nursing and health care at a national or international level.

"The academy is comprised of many of the nation's top nursing executives, policy makers, scholars, researchers, and practitioners," said academy President Linda Burnes Bolton. "Induction into the academy represents an esteemed honor and recognition of outstanding achievement."

Both Mueller and Olson Keller have significantly contributed to the nursing and health care arenas. Mueller, associate professor in the School of Nursing, is recognized as a national leader in gerontological nursing. She is a member of the AAN Expert Panel on Aging; organized the interest group of long-term care system researchers at the Gerontological Society of America; and, was involved in the National Nursing Home Case Mix and Quality demonstration project which improved the Medicare payment system by shifting the reimbursement emphasis to focus on high-quality patient care.

Mueller is one of the founders of the Minnesota Coalition for Nursing Home Culture Change, chair of the Adult and Gerontological Health Cooperative, recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Member in Gerontological Nursing Award by the John A. Hartford Foundation, and awardee of the Fesler-Lampert Chair in Aging Studies. She also developed the Long Term Care Nursing Leadership and Management Web site, one of the few resources available to nurse leaders in nursing homes.

For more than 20 years, Linda Olson Keller has dedicated herself to redefining public health nursing practice and improving population health during her tenure at the Minnesota Department of Health. For the past ten years, the public health model she developed has reinvigorated public health nursing with its practice-based, evidence-supported use for nursing practice, education, and management. Its influence has spread across the Atlantic as several countries in the European Union have now adopted its use.

Olson Keller is well-respected as a public health nursing expert in both teaching and practice. She was selected by the Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing and the Centers for Disease Control to serve as project director for a new national study which looks at public health nursing leadership. She is a past Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow, is currently a clinical associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, and expects to receive her doctorate of nursing practice in December.

The School of Nursing’s latest two AAN inductees bring its total number of fellows to thirteen. Previous inductees include Linda Bearinger, Donna Bliss, Connie Delaney, Joanne Disch, Sandra Edwardson, Ann Garwick, Mary Jo Kreitzer, Barbara Leonard, Joan Liaschenko, Ruth Lindquist, and Jean Wyman.

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing is ranked among the nation’s top nursing schools. It is a leader in nursing research and has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota’s public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. It is the oldest continuing university-based school of nursing. The School of Nursing is one of six schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education. For more information, visit www.nursing.umn.edu.

Contact: Aneisha Tucker, School of Nursing, 612-626-1817 or tucke127@umn.edu

LauraStroup, Academic Health Center, 612-624-5680 or stro0481@umn.edu