Lander University is pleased to announce that Dr. Betsy M. McDowell, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, has been selected to be a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. McDowell is professor emerita of nursing at Lander University and professor emerita at Newberry College. Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within and outside the profession. Fellows are selected based on their contributions and impact to advance the public’s health.
The Academy is an honorific society that recognizes nursing's most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration and academia. Academy Fellows, from nearly 40 countries, hold a wide variety of influential roles in health care. Induction into the Fellowship represents more than recognition of one's accomplishments within the nursing profession. Fellows contribute their collective expertise to the Academy, engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation and science.
McDowell taught for almost 50 years in prelicensure programs in South Carolina. She was nursing department chair at Lander University and was founding department chair at Newberry College. Currently she chairs the Pediatric Nursing Excellence Task Force for the Society of Pediatric Nurses, is president of the Neuman Systems Model Trustees Group, and reviews manuscripts, abstracts and grants annually. Her KATTS framework for NCLEX success was adopted by at least 12 prelicensure programs nationally to increase NCLEX pass rates. Her clinical practice and scholarship as a pediatric critical care nurse include aiding children following Hurricane Hugo, assisting families with infants on home apnea monitors, helping child victims of domestic violence through a weekly support group, and using the Neuman Systems Model. McDowell earned her BSN from the University of South Carolina, MSN from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and PhD in nursing science from the University of South Carolina.
Upon notification of her selection, McDowell stated, “I’m extremely honored to have my contributions to nursing education, pediatric nursing and theory-based practice recognized on a global scale in this way.”
Through a competitive, rigorous application process, the Academy’s Fellow Selection Committee reviewed a record number of applications, representing a 30 percent increase from the previous year, to select the 2022 Fellows. McDowell was one of 250 individuals selected to be inducted. The 2022 Fellows represent 35 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 17 countries.
The 2022 inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, taking place Oct. 27-29, 2022 in Washington, D.C., at the Marriott Marquis during the Induction Ceremony on the evening of Oct. 29. Once the newest Fellows are inducted, the Academy will be comprised of more than 3,000 leaders who are experts in policy, research, administration, practice and academia that champion health and wellness, locally and globally.
About the American Academy of Nursing
The American Academy of Nursing serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 2,900 Fellows, the Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.