SON dean honored by prestigious national organization

This fall, OU's Dr. Kerri Schuiling was named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Only a few months into her Oakland University career, the School of Nursing’s new dean has already garnered national acclaim. Dr. Kerri Schuiling was recently named a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, one of the most prestigious honors in the field.

This fall, Dr. Schuiling was inducted into the AAN at a conference in Washington, D.C., along with 141 nurse leaders from across the country. Each fellow contributed significantly to the field of nursing and health care, and each was hand-selected by a panel of elected and appointed current fellows.

“I am pleased that this recognition will help move the SON to the next level of achievement and visibility,” said Dr. Virinder Moudgil, Oakland’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs.

The 1,800 member organization strives to serve the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Its fellows represent the brightest and best of the profession, recognized for their extraordinary nursing careers and dedication to education.

“It really is an incredible honor to be selected for induction into the Academy of Nursing,” Dr. Schuiling said. “The membership is made up of many of my role models and mentors and includes nursing dignitaries that I only read about during my nursing education. So, for me, this was a pinnacle moment.”

A Michigan native, Dr. Schuiling’s education and experience is both distinguished and varied. With a focus on women’s studies, she is active in women’s health research and collaborates with midwifery colleagues nationally and internationally.
This past year she was part of a team that developed global standards for midwifery practice that have been adopted by the World Health Organization for use in midwifery education throughout the world.

Dr. Schuiling is certified as a nurse-midwife and women’s health care nurse practitioner. Her appointment as SON’s dean comes on the heels of a post as a distinguished professor and associate dean and director of the School of Nursing at Northern Michigan University.

She has received several awards for her work in women’s health and was inducted as a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Dr. Schuiling is the founding co-editor-in-chief of the “International Journal of Childbirth” and is also on the editorial board of the Applied Nursing Research Journal. She is co-editor of the book “Women’s Gynecologic Health,” which is in its second edition and received the ACNM Book of the Year Award.
“I think the recognition is important because it sets goals for nurses who are just entering their careers,” Dr. Schuiling said. “It also highlights to legislatures the things that our top nurses are doing and their collective expertise. Many in the Academy are asked to be expert witnesses, on Institute of Medicine Panels and expert consultants for a variety of health related activities and committees.”

Currently, Dr. Schuiling sits on the statewide Task Force for Nursing Practice and serves as chair of the Research Standing Committee of the International Confederation of Midwives.

For more information about Oakland’s SON, view the website.