Meet Nursing's 2026 AAN Fellows: Full Faculty Roster

Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing is the highest recognition in nursing, and the 2026 cycle is already adding faculty names at Miami, NYU, Penn, Utah, UMass, and URI. Clinical Professor Diane DiTomasso of the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing earned selection this year for lactation science research and more than 35 years in women's health.

The Academy now counts more than 3,400 Fellows working across policy, research, administration, practice, and academia. That institutional concentration is a structural signal: departments with deep FAAN benches tend to mentor junior faculty toward the same sustained, exceptional record the credential requires, offering one answer to the Nursing Faculty Shortage many programs still face.

What It Means to Be an AAN Fellow (FAAN)

The abbreviation FAAN now carries enough overlapping meanings across health care that nurse educators routinely pause to clarify which credential a colleague actually holds.

FAAN in nursing refers to Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an honorary fellowship rather than a license or certification. It is open to all registered nurses, not just those in advanced practice, making the AAN fellowship nurse educator pathway accessible across specialties. Induction recognizes sustained, exceptional, and transformative contributions to improving health locally and globally. Because it spans policy, research, administration, practice, and academia, the fellowship signals a career-level distinction, not a single exam or course.

FAAN vs FAANP vs the Neurology AAN

The initials overlap, but the eligibility is different.

• FAAN (American Academy of Nursing): all registered nurses, from any specialty or role.
• FAANP (American Association of Nurse Practitioners): nurse practitioners only; founded in 2000 for NP leaders in clinical practice, research, education, or policy.
• FAAN (American Academy of Neurology): neurologists and other physicians who meet board-certification requirements; the neurology fellowship explicitly excludes advanced practice providers, business administrators, and researchers.

In a nursing faculty roster, FAAN almost always means the American Academy of Nursing. If the context is neurology or medical specialty practice, check the issuing body.

A Small but Influential Community

The American Academy of Nursing reports more than 3,400 active Fellows. That number is a small fraction of the licensed registered nurses in the United States, which is why induction is treated as a selective honor. Holding the FAAN credential places a nurse educator in a comparatively small circle of leaders expected to influence policy and prepare the next generation. For nurse educators, that selectivity carries a practical signal: faculty who hold FAAN have been vetted by peers for reshaping nursing education, policy, or practice at a systems level.

The 2026 AAN Fellows: Faculty Roster by Institution

This roster compiles faculty members and nurse leaders who have been announced as 2026 American Academy of Nursing Fellows through institutional and professional society releases available as of September 2026. It is not an exhaustive national list because some institutions had not yet published individual names or details at the time of writing. Where an institution or state was not disclosed in the verified source, the cell is marked as not specified.

Spotlight: URI's Diane Ditomasso on Lactation Science and Fellowship

What does a clinical professor with deep lactation science expertise need to do to earn a 2026 American Academy of Nursing Fellowship?

A 2026 AAN Fellow at URI

Clinical Professor Diane DiTomasso of the University of Rhode Island College of Nursing has been selected for induction as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.¹ She is an expert in obstetrical nursing and lactation care. The induction ceremony will take place on October 10 at the Academy's annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Fellowship is the highest recognition in the nursing profession, awarded for sustained exceptional contributions.

From Obstetrics to Lactation Research

DiTomasso has more than 35 years in women's health as an obstetrical nurse and board-certified lactation consultant. Her research focuses on human lactation, infant weight patterns, maternal experiences, and milk expression practices. She was previously inducted as a fellow in the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), and her published work has earned awards from AWHONN, the International Lactation Consultant Association, the Eastern Nursing Research Society, and the Journal of Human Lactation.

What Nurse Educators Can Take Away

For faculty, DiTomasso's selection shows how clinical specialization and sustained scholarship exemplify nurse-led research in education and can lead to fellowship. Her work is a ready resource for integrating lactation science and maternal-child health into curricula, from postpartum assessment to newborn nutrition. For nurse educators, this is not an abstract honor. DiTomasso's work gives concrete classroom material for discussing breastfeeding support, infant growth, and postpartum maternal health. At URI, more than 80 percent of tenured faculty are AAN Fellows, a sign that scholarship and teaching reinforce each other.¹ The Academy's more than 3,400 Fellows represent leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia, and DiTomasso's path adds one more model for educators and doctoral students who are still weighing becoming a nurse educator. Use her trajectory as a talking point with doctoral students who wonder whether clinical identity can coexist with academic advancement.

How AAN Fellows Are Selected: Criteria and Nomination Process

Some nurses assume AAN Fellowship is a straightforward application you submit and wait to receive. In reality, the process is self-initiated but not self-nomination: you assemble the portfolio and CV, yet you cannot move forward without two current Fellows formally endorsing you. For nurse educators, that distinction matters because the candidate controls the evidence, but the sponsors vouch for the record.

Sponsorship comes first

A 2026 applicant needs two Regular Fellows in good standing to serve as sponsors. At least one sponsor must be a full member of an ANA Constituent/State Nurses Association or a direct ANA member where available. U.S. citizens must hold current ANA membership, and ANA e-membership does not satisfy the requirement. International applicants must belong to an ICN member association if eligible.

In faculty settings, sponsors are usually a dean, department chair, doctoral mentor, or long-time collaborator who is already a Fellow, much as a nurse educator recommendation letter writer must speak directly to the candidate's sustained work rather than general praise.

What reviewers weigh

The Academy looks for evidence of "substantive, sustained, and outstanding contribution to health or health care." Impact may occur at national or international level, or at state/regional level with scalable influence. Contributions can fall in service, practice, education, advocacy, policy, government, military, research, or another area. You do not need to show impact in every category, much as a nursing faculty tenure process does not demand equal weight across teaching, research, and service, but you do need supporting data in the portfolio and CV.

Reviewers evaluate the packet against that published criterion rather than a public point tally, so the quality and documentation of the contribution carry the weight.

2026 timing

The Fellowship application window opened November 19, 2025 and closed January 31, 2026. Because the cycle runs about six weeks, candidates typically begin gathering sponsor commitments and evidence months earlier, rather than waiting for the portal to open. For faculty planning a future nomination, that timeline is a reminder to secure sponsor commitments before the fall semester ends, the same forward planning that pays off when pursuing other forms of nurse educator recognition.

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Why Fellowship Matters for Your Academic Career

Promotion and Tenure

In many academic nursing programs, promotion and tenure committees look for external evidence that a faculty member's work has reached beyond campus. Selection as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow (FAAN) provides that recognition. It signals that a nurse educator has made sustained, exceptional contributions in teaching, research, practice, or policy, and it often carries weight in advancement reviews, especially at research-intensive schools. At some universities, a high percentage of tenured nursing faculty hold FAAN status, which can elevate the overall scholarly culture and make the credential an informal expectation for senior ranks.

Grant Applications and Scholarly Credibility

FAAN status can strengthen a grant application because it communicates a track record of national impact. Funders and reviewers may read the designation as evidence of peer-validated expertise, leadership capacity, and an ability to translate scholarship into practice. That credibility can support larger collaborative proposals and interdisciplinary projects, which matter for educators building a research line in nursing education or maternal-child health. Early career educators may also use the nomination process, informed by grant writing tips for nurse educators, as a structured way to document impact and clarify a scholarly trajectory.

Networking and Health-Policy Influence

Fellows join a network of more than 3,400 leaders across policy, research, administration, practice, and academia. This community opens direct pathways to Academy expert panels, policy briefings, and national working groups, deepening nurse educator policy leadership opportunities. For nurse educators, those connections can amplify a curriculum change, a faculty practice innovation, or a research finding into broader health-policy conversations. That influence can elevate both an individual research agenda and the visibility of a nursing program.

Career Trajectories

Fellowship often precedes or supports movement into roles such as research chair, endowed professorship, associate dean, or a nursing program director career path. It also strengthens an educator's ability to mentor doctoral students and junior faculty toward similar recognition, creating a pipeline of scholarly leadership within a college. Because fellowship is peer-reviewed and time-intensive, it also signals readiness for roles that require external credibility, not just internal service.

How to Position Yourself for a Future AAN Nomination

Use this checklist to build the sustained, exceptional record AAN Fellows are known for, long before a nomination is on the table.

1. Build a multi-year record

   Stay focused on scholarship, practice innovation, or policy impact that shows sustained contributions, not a single project.
2. Cultivate two AAN Fellow sponsors

   Develop genuine mentoring relationships with current Fellows who can speak to your leadership and impact.
3. Document measurable outcomes

   Keep a CV or portfolio with clear evidence of improved patient outcomes, stronger education, or policy change.
4. Step into visible leadership

   Serve on national committees, editorial boards, or professional organization roles that demonstrate influence.
5. Track publications, grants, and awards

   Maintain a running record of scholarly work and recognition so your impact is easy to review well before applying.