Associate Professor of Nursing Kathy Newnam has been named an American Academy of Nursing Fellow.
Fellows represent nursing’s positive impact through representation in a variety of roles and settings from governmental positions to executive and entrepreneurial leadership in practice, nonprofits, and higher education. Through a rigorous and competitive process, the academy’s Fellow Selection Committee, which is composed of elected and appointed fellows, reviewed nearly 400 applications.
Induction into the academy is a significant milestone in which past and current accomplishments are honored by colleagues within and outside the profession.
“I am incredibly honored to have been named as a Fellow in the Academy of Nursing,” said Newnam. “This accomplishment is the result of unwavering mentorship, teamwork, and nursing leadership that has paved the way to achieve both personal and professional goals. As a nurse scientist and neonatal nurse practitioner, it has been a gift to work with the smallest humans and their families as I strive to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes through my multidisciplinary program of clinical research. The Academy of Nursing supports all areas of nursing excellence to improve global health, improving healthcare for all. I am so proud to contribute to this worthy mission.”
Newnam’s current research addresses parental engagement through purposeful language to reduce biophysical markers of stress and support cognitive development in medically fragile high-risk infants.
She leads interdisciplinary studies, funded by the National Institutes of Health and other sources, that examine predictors of neonatal risk and resilience through longitudinal exploration of communication patterns and language trajectories over the first 36 months of life. Her clinical expertise, informed by experimental research, has supported practice changes in neonatal respiratory management and human milk promotion.
“Dr. Newnam’s selection as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow is a testament to her exceptional contributions in advancing the health of infants and their families and her unwavering dedication to the nursing profession,” said Dean Victoria Niederhauser. “Induction into the academy is a remarkable milestone that recognizes the remarkable achievements of individuals like Dr. Newnam, who have made a positive impact through their roles in various settings and leadership positions. We congratulate Dr. Newnam on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to her continued contributions to the field of nursing and the betterment of health care outcomes for children and families.”
Newnam’s collaboration with NEC-Zero and the University of Arizona NeoECHO team supports evidence-based interventions to improve timely recognition and reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis. The impact of her research is far-reaching, with published findings in journals of nursing, speech therapy, psychology, and early childhood development. She holds section editor and editorial board positions for Advances in Neonatal Care.
Newnam received her BSN and MSN from Old Dominion University, her post-master’s certification as a neonatal nurse practitioner from East Carolina University, and her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Newnam will be officially inducted on October 7 during the academy’s Health Policy Conference in Washington, DC.
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CONTACT:
Kara Clark (865-9749498, [email protected])