Alverno College is pleased to announce that Veronica Vital, PhD, RN, has been selected to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Vital is an assistant professor in the JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions at Alverno College’s Mesa, Arizona location.
Selection as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career. Fellows are recognized by their colleagues for substantial contributions to advancing health and health care locally and globally.
The Academy is a policy organization and honorific society that recognizes nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration and academia. Its more than 3,600 Fellows hold influential roles across health care and contribute their expertise to developing sound health policy. Together, they advance the Academy’s vision of healthy lives for all people.
“Dr. Vital is an exceptional nurse educator, leader and advocate whose commitment to advancing health equity and improving the health of diverse communities is evident in all that she does,” said Laurie Kunkel-Jordan, dean of the JoAnn McGrath School of Nursing and Health Professions. “Her leadership extends well beyond the classroom, and her influence on the nursing profession continues to grow through her work in education, advocacy and national organizations. It is an extraordinary honor to have Veronica as a member of our faculty and to celebrate this well-deserved recognition of her contributions to nursing and health care.”
Vital is among the newest Fellows selected from a competitive pool of candidates representing 39 states, the District of Columbia and 17 countries. The 2026 inductees will strengthen the Academy’s thought leadership and contribute to its mission of advancing health policy through nursing leadership, innovation and science.
Vital and the 2026 inductees will be recognized for their substantial, sustained and significant contributions to health and health care during the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, Oct. 8-10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. The Induction Ceremony will take place the evening of Oct. 10.
Following the ceremony, the new inductees will be able to use the FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing) credential, one of the highest honors in the nursing profession.
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 3,400 Fellows, the Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
