Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., named chair of AACN board

Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., is congratulated upon being appointed chair of the AACN board. She received a bouquet of flowers from the College of Nursing faculty and staff.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has appointed Juliann Sebastian, Ph.D., dean and professor of the UNMC College of Nursing, as chair of the AACN board of directors.

Dr. Sebastian began her two-year term as the association’s highest elected official at the close of AACN’s 2016 spring business meeting held in Washington, D.C.

“As the voice for academic nursing, AACN is committed to using collaboration, innovation, and strategic action to improve both health and health care,” Dr. Sebastian said. “I believe that AACN is extremely well-positioned to expand its impact as a catalyst for excellence and innovation, and I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the organization during this pivotal point in its history.”

Dr. Sebastian has served in her current role at UNMC since 2011. Her areas of expertise include the organization of care delivery systems (particularly care for underserved populations), academic nursing practice and nurse-managed centers, and Doctor of Nursing Practice program curricula. She has presented widely at national and international conferences on these topics and has had numerous papers, book chapters, abstracts, and three books related to community nursing published.

Dr. Sebastian’s longtime service on the AACN board includes the role of chairing the Task Force on the Master’s Essential Tool Kit, serving as the board’s liaison to the Task Force on the Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing, and serving as a member of the Task Force on the Essentials of Nursing Education for the Doctor of Nursing Practice.

In addition to her AACN service, Dr. Sebastian was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1999. She served as vice president of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing, from 1995-1997 and as board chair of its foundation from 1997-2001. She was selected to be in the inaugural cohort (1998-2001) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s prestigious Executive Nurse Fellowship program.

She currently serves as chair of the board for the Global Alliance for Leadership in Nursing Education and Scholarship (GANES).

“As AACN board chair, I am looking forward to fostering a culture of collaboration with our colleagues in practice, policy, and the other health professions to better position academic nursing to address the challenges we face in ensuring quality and safety, promoting excellence in care delivery, ensuring access and cost effectiveness, and improving care outcomes,” Dr. Sebastian said.