Dr. Cindy Munro Named Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

University of South Florida College of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, Cindy L. Munro, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) on Thursday, June 20, 2013 during the AANP national conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. A limited number of nurse practitioners are selected for this highly coveted distinction each year. Dr. Munro is one of three USF Nursing faculty, and one of only 60 nurse practitioner leaders nationwide selected for induction in 2013.

The FAANP program was established in 2000 to recognize nurse practitioner leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through clinical practice, research, education, or policy. Priority initiatives of AANP are the development of leadership and mentorship programs for nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students. Fellows of the AANP are visionaries committed to the global advancement of nursing through the development of imaginative and creative future nurse practitioner leaders, and as such, hold an annual think tank to strategize about the future of nurse practitioners and health care outside the confines of traditional thinking.  Dr. Munro will continue the tradition of contributing to the mission of the AANP and promoting the role of the nurse practitioner.

Senior Associate Vice President of USF Health, and Dean of the College of Nursing, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN, and USF College of Nursing Assistant Professor, Frances M. Sahebzamani, PhD, ARNP, FAANP, nominated Dr. Munro for the distinguished award. Dr. Sahebzamani said Dr. Munro is a highly esteemed nursing leader, clinician, and research scientist who has accomplished a highly distinguished career at the national and international level.

“It is a rare privilege and honor for me to nominate Dr. Munro for the AANP Fellowship,” Dr. Sahebzamani said. “She is one of the finest of nurse practitioner researchers and clinical experts. Throughout her career, she has significantly contributed to nursing science, academics and clinical practice focusing on the transmission, mechanisms, and the prevention of hospital acquired infections in the intensive care practice setting.”

Through her clinical practice and groundbreaking research, Dr. Munro has directly influenced generations of nurse clinicians, scholars and scientists. Her scientific contributions have helped change clinical practice, reduce morbidity and mortality for critically ill patients, and reduce healthcare costs associated with hospital-acquired infections.

“I have a strong commitment to clinical practice, and have provided a nursing voice in organizations with impact on advanced nursing practice, interdisciplinary practice, and health policy,” Dr. Munro said. “I have been actively engaged in research to build the knowledge base for nursing practice and to improve patient outcomes for my entire academic nursing career.”

Dr. Munro research has focused on immunological, microbiological, and biobehavioral relations associated with oral care and systematic infections in vulnerable critically ill patients in the acute care settings. She has published over 100 practice and research papers in prestigious nursing, basic science and media journals which informs clinicians and scientists across disciplines and practice specialties. Dr. Munro is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and serves on the Academy’s Acute and Critical Care Expert Panel. She is nurse co-editor of the American Journal of Critical Care. She is currently the principal investigator on a study funded since 2001, which is looking to reduce the incidence of pneumonia associated with the use of ventilators in critically ill patients.

“To be recognized as an AANP Fellow is a great honor,” Dr. Munro said. “I am so grateful to my sponsors, Dr. Sahebzamani and Dr. Morrison-Beedy, and I look forward to serving the Academy in advancing excellence in nurse practitioner education, clinical practice, and research.”

Dr. Munro joins 2013 inductees Drs. Elizabeth A. Kostas-Polston and Cindy S. Tofthagen, as well as current fellows Drs. Jean Aertker, Ponrathi Athilingam, Adrienne Berarducci, Rita F. D’Aoust, Patricia A. Gorzka, S. Joan Gregory, Susan E. Kennel, Dianne Morrison-Beedy, Frances M. Sahebzamani, and Patricia Quigley, as USF Nursing faculty Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is the largest, full-service national professional organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. With more than 45,000 individual members and 200 group members, AANP represents the interests of approximately 167,000 nurse practitioners around the country. AANP continually advocates for the active role of nurse practitioners as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, personalized, patient-centered health care. For more information, visit aanp.org.  To locate an NP in your community, go to npfinder.com.

For the complete list of 2013 FAANP inductees see the announcement and list on the AANP website.

For related stories on Dr. Munro click here.

-USF Health-

USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50^th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu/nursing.