ECU Nursing faculty honored as inaugural fellows of the American Association for Men in Nursing
- Three ECU nursing faculty named inaugural AAMN fellows.
- Mark Hand selected as a distinguished fellow.
- ECU recognized as a Best School for Men in Nursing since 2023.
Three faculty members from East Carolina University’s College of Nursing have been named as inaugural fellows of the American Association for Men in Nursing.
Dr. Mark Hand was announced as a distinguished fellow of the American Association for Men in Nursing.
Dr. Mark Hand was selected as a distinguished fellow, and Drs. Bimbola Akintade and Thompson Forbes III, we were both selected as fellows, who “have demonstrated sustained and influential leadership in the advancement of men’s health and men in the nursing profession.”
The establishment of the AAMN fellowship program comes on the heels of the recognition of men’s health nursing as a specialty by the American Nurses Association, of which Hand was instrumental as a co-founder of the American Men’s Health Nursing Alliance.
“I’m humbled and honored to be selected as an AAMN fellow, but more importantly being recognized along with Thompson and Mark puts a spotlight on our college as a leader in the education of men in our profession,” said Akintade, dean of the College of Nursing. “Three Pirate nurses being inducted in this first class is an outsized achievement — one that I am very proud of.”
Since 2023, ECU has been recognized by AAMN as a Best School for Men in Nursing, which certifies the institution as providing men supportive environment for educating students and celebrating the male faculty, students and alumni who have made contributions to the nursing profession.
Distinguished fellows represent the pinnacle of leadership within men in nursing or men’s health, and fellows are recognized as nurse leaders and active AAMN members who demonstrate progressive, high impact and sustained contributions to the profession.
Fellows represent driving forces in education, practice, research and policy, actively advancing the mission of AAMN and elevating the role of men in healthcare.
In October, Hand will be formally inducted as one of more than 3,600 fellows of the American Association of Nursing from across the globe during the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in Washington. The recognition is the highest honor a nurse can receive from the profession.
AAMN was established in 1971 by Dennis Martin, a nurse who recognized a need for professional and advocacy organization for men in the profession. One of AAMN’s honors, the Gene Tranbarger Award, was named in honor of one of the male luminaries of the profession who held a tenured professorship at ECU’s College of Nursing prior to his retirement.