ECU nursing dean named Fellow in the Academy of Nursing Education
ECU College of Nursing Dean Dr. Sylvia Brown was recently inducted as a Fellow in nursing education’s most prestigious organization, placing her among the country’s most respected nurse educators.
Brown was one of 14 distinguished nurse educators inducted in the National League for Nursing’s 12th class of fellows of the Academy of Nursing Education in September.
In a competitive application process, the Academy of Nursing Education review panel considers a multitude of factors before recommending fellowship candidates to the NLN Board of Governors. Evaluations take into account applicants’ contributions to innovative teaching and learning strategies; nursing education research; faculty development activities; academic leadership; promotion of public policy that advances nursing education and collaborative educational, practice or community partnerships.
Dr. Sylvia Brown, center, was recently inducted as a Fellow in the Academy of Nursing Education. (Contributed photo)
“I’m so honored and humbled to be named among this prestigious group of nurse educators, who have dedicated their careers to improving not only patient care but the nursing student experience,” Brown said. “The National League for Nursing’s dedication to improving nursing education has been such a critical driver of the quality of care in this country. My goal is to provide a learning environment to ensure student success resulting in competent and caring nurses.”
Brown has served as a faculty member in the ECU College of Nursing for four decades and the past 20 years in multiple administrative roles.
“Dr. Brown’s visionary leadership has drastically improved the quality and accessibility of health care education options available to students,” said interim vice chancellor for health sciences, Dr. Mark Stacy. “As a result, the patients whom ECU nurses serve worldwide can access a higher level of specialized care than ever before, particularly in rural, underserved areas.”
Among her many contributions to nursing education is the implementation of one of the first online nursing programs in the state of North Carolina, the online nursing education concentration in ECU’s Master of Science in Nursing program.
Since being named dean of the college in 2009, Brown spearheaded the college’s adoption of the RIBN (Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate Nurses) program, partnering with area community colleges in 2012 as an effort to enhance the educational preparation and diversity of the nursing workforce. The same year, seeing an urgent need for advanced practice nurses, Brown worked with five other deans in the state to obtain approval from the UNC System to offer Doctor of Nursing Practice programs in their institutions.
In 2017, she implemented a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program to help address workforce shortages in this much-needed specialty.
“On behalf of the Board of Governors, I congratulate individuals who represent the enterprise, creativity and drive that is the foundation of excellence in nursing education,” said G. Rumay Alexander, the president of the NLN and professor and associate vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “We applaud their critical role in preparing nursing school graduates to deliver sustainable, accessible, culturally-sensitive care to a diverse patient population, which advances the health of the nation and global community.”
-by Natalie Sayewich, University Communications