Pierce
Pierce was one of 116 nurse leaders inducted into the most recent class of Fellows at the academy’s 37th annual meeting and conference.
Selection for the fellowship is based on significant contributions to the nursing and health-care field and is considered a prestigious honor.
“Academy Fellows are truly experts and represent the nation’s top nurse researchers, policymakers, scholars, executives and practitioners,” American Academy of Nursing President Catherine L. Gilliss said.
According to Pierce, serving as a Fellow means serving the public and the nursing profession by advancing practice and health policy through the creation and distribution of nursing knowledge.
Pierce’s career has focused on working with people with chronic conditions, including stroke and dementia, and their family members, providing them with strategies to preserve, alter, pull together with others, and learn ways to be successful.
“An important focus of my practice also is with our students where we come together and discover the art and science of nursing that makes real differences in people’s lives,” Pierce said.
Her activities and accomplishments include serving as a spokesperson for the field of rehabilitation through her roles in the Association of Rehabilitation and the American Stroke Association and serving on several executive boards. She is the immediate past-president of the Association of Rehabilitation and chair of an upcoming State-of-the-Art Stroke Nursing Symposium for the American Stroke Association.
Pierce also has conducted research that has advanced practices in rehabilitation and caregiver education. She and a colleague from the College of Medicine created Caring~Web, which is an effective Internet educational support for caregivers of stroke survivors.
Pierce holds a diploma in nursing from Toledo Hospital as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Akron. She received her PhD in nursing from Wayne State University and is board-certified in rehabilitation nursing.
