Associate Professor Deb Erickson-Owens was inducted during the academy’s annual meeting Nov. 1

Associate Professor Deb Erickson-Owens, Ph.D., C.N.M., R.N., was selected as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, an honor bestowed upon only about 2,400 nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research. She was inducted on Nov. 1

Invitation to fellowship is a recognition of a nursing leader’s extraordinary accomplishments within the nursing profession.

Dr. Erickson-Owens Is being recognized for her outstanding contributions directed at improving maternal/child health nationally and internationally. She has made pioneering contributions in the area of cord clamping at the time of birth. This work has influenced practice, research, policy and education beyond the classroom setting. This includes establishing the first US Air Force (USAF) birth center, providing the vital evidence to change cord clamping practice, developing national policy through practice guidelines, and disseminating this work globally. These sustained contributions span 40 years, from beginning her career as a USAF Nurse Corps officer to her current role as educator and researcher.

In addition, Erickson-Owens joins URI Clinical Assistant Professor Michelle Palmer, M.S.N., R.N., as Fellows in the American College of Nurse Midwives, “an honor bestowed upon those midwives whose demonstrated leadership, clinical excellence, outstanding scholarship and professional achievement have merited special recognition both within and outside of the midwifery profession.”