Two faculty members from the Indiana University School of Nursing have been selected as 2025 Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing.
Kim Alexander Decker, PhD, RN, CNS, and Miyeon Jung, PhD, RN, FAHA, join one of the largest cohorts of new Fellows who will be inducted during the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference on October 16–18, in Washington, D.C. Their extensive expertise will enrich the thought leadership of the more than 3,200 Academy Fellows who together advance the Academy's mission of improving health and achieving health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.
“I cannot emphasize enough at this pivotal time in history the vital importance of recognizing this extraordinary and sizeable group of nurse leaders,” said Academy president Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing. Earning the FAAN (Fellow of the AAN) credential is a prestigious recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the power of nursing to transform health and enact positive outcomes.”
Jung and Decker both expressed their pride in becoming Fellows of the esteemed organization. Jung, an associate professor whose research focuses on heart failure and cognitive dysfunction that often comes with aging, shared how she hopes fellowship in the Academy will influence nursing research on a broader scale.
“I want to advocate for nurse scientists who are deeply committed to the science and the people who may benefit from new discoveries including philosophical foundations behind our work,” Jung said.
“In addition, I would love to see more aging-friendly clinical practice and health policies that treat everyone with dignity,” she continued. “Aging is not something to be ashamed of, yet our culture is against more than embracing it . . . just as we have moved away from labeling people by a single trait of their many, I hope to contribute to shaping a more positive and inclusive narrative around aging.”
Decker, a clinical associate professor whose academic practice focus is community health nursing education, echoed how joining the Academy promises to impact her work and the nursing community at large.
“I hope that being an American Academy of Nursing Fellow will open new doors, in which I can be a mentor to nursing faculty outside of my own school of nursing, nationally and internationally,” Decker said. “I plan to reach out to other schools of nursing to broaden their perspective on the importance of nursing outside of the traditional in-patient clinical settings.”
The 2025 Class of Fellows, selected from a historically high number of applicants, represent 42 states, the District of Columbia, and 12 countries.
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Founded in 1914, Indiana University School of Nursing is one of the largest nursing programs in Indiana that offers programs from the BSN through the doctorate. The school is composed of campuses in Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis.
Media Contact: Glenda Shaw | 317-278-2048 | glenshaw@iu.edu