Ironside Selected as Fellow in American Academy of Nursing

Pamela Ironside, PhD, RN

INDIANAPOLIS – Pamela Ironside, PhD, RN, an Associate Professor and the Director of the Center for Research in Nursing Education at the Indiana University School of Nursing (IUSON), was formally inducted on November 11, 2006 into the American Academy of Nursing along with 54 other new Fellows for 2006. She was nominated for this honor by two current Academy Fellows and was selected by the Academy’s fifteen-member Fellow Selection Committee for her outstanding achievements in the nursing profession. The induction took place during the Academy’s Annual Awards Ceremony and Induction Banquet in Miami, FL.

A consistent leader in calling for and advancing an inclusive science of nursing education, Dr. Ironside’s research is at the forefront of a national effort to help faculty develop and use research-based pedagogies that are responsive to the contemporary contexts and challenges of healthcare and education. Ironside is best known for her research in Narrative Pedagogy – an interpretive pedagogy developed from nursing research for nursing education and practice. The Narrative Pedagogy Project is a distinctive combination of research and faculty development designed to assist faculty to develop pedagogical literacy, and to create and use new pedagogies to address challenges specific to their schools. Using pilot schools worldwide, her research documents the contributions of pedagogical reform and how it influences students’ thinking. In addition, her research substantively contributes to evidence-based approaches to faculty development in order to increase pedagogical literacy in nursing faculty. This research has been widely disseminated nationally and internationally via publications, lectures, workshops and institutes.

“The prestigious invitation to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing recognizes an individual’s accomplishments within the nursing profession, and at the same time affords an opportunity to work with other leaders in healthcare in addressing the important issues of the day. As a current Fellow in the Academy, I am so very pleased that Pam was selected for her leadership and innovative thinking; she will be a great addition to this professional organization,” said Marion E. Broome, university dean and distinguished professor at the IU School of Nursing.

Ironside serves on the National League for Nursing’s Board of Governors and Blue Ribbon Panel for establishing the research priorities for nursing education. She consults nationally and internationally with schools seeking to use research-based pedagogies. In addition, she is co-editor of the award-winning, annual book series Interpretive Studies in Healthcare and Human Sciences. Ironside received her BA from Luther College, Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota and PhD from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Other IUSON Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) include: Drs. Joan K. Austin, Janis Beckstrand, Diane M. Billings, Marion E. Broome, Victoria Champion, Pamela R. Jeffries, Brenda Lyon, Joanne B. Martin, Rose M. Mays, Angela Barron McBride, Anna McDaniel, Daniel J. Pesut, Susan B. Pressler, Phyllis N. Stern, and Lillian G. Stokes.

AAN was established in 1973 under the auspices of the American Nurses Association to provide visionary leadership to the nursing profession and to the public in shaping future health care policy and practice. Now comprised of approximately 1,500 nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research, the mission is to serve both the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through knowledge generation, synthesis, and dissemination. For more information about the American Academy of Nursing, please visit their Web site www.aannet.org.

To learn more about the IU School of Nursing, visit http://nursing.iupui.edu/.