University Of Massachusetts Amherst’s Three Faculty Leaders Selected As Fellows Of The American Academy Of Nursing

Three nurse educators and researchers at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing have been selected as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), an honor that reflects their leadership and accomplishments in the field and their contributions to health care.

Gabrielle Abelard, clinical associate professor and graduate program director, Lucinda Canty, associate professor and director of Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing, and Favorite Iradukunda, assistant professor, are among the 253 nurse leaders in the 2023 Class of Fellows. They will be recognized for their “substantial, sustained and outstanding impact on health and health care” at the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, Oct. 5-7, in Washington, D.C.

The new inductees will join the ranks of the more than 3,000 nursing leaders who champion health and wellness, locally and globally, as experts in policy, research, administration, practice and academia.

Abelard is president of the New England chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and CEO of Abelard Psychotherapy, a multisite community mental health clinic that provides comprehensive behavioral health services in the home and outpatient setting throughout Massachusetts. She also serves as the first chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Massachusetts Association of Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses Association.

“Never has there been a more pressing time where mental wellness should be at the forefront of our health than today,” Abelard says. “I aim to create a world where stigma and barriers to access do not prevent individuals from seeking services for mental wellness. I believe work in education, mentorship, leadership and clinical practice will bring about a mentally healthier world. Fellowship in the academy will enhance my ability to develop psychiatric mental health and health equity education while improving delivery of care and the public’s mental health.”

Canty is a certified nurse midwife and reproductive health justice activist who has worked for nearly three decades to improve health outcomes for women of color. Canty says her FAAN recognition will give her crucial leverage to continue addressing Black maternal health.

“It is an honor to be recognized for my contributions to nursing and the impact that I have had on colleagues, students and my community,” Canty says. “As a Black woman and a first-generation college student, it proves anything is possible.”

Iradukunda, a 2020 Ph.D. graduate of UMass Amherst, is a nurse scholar who focuses on the intersection of multiculturalism, immigration and health outcomes, especially maternal health disparities, for African diasporic women and birthing people. She also seeks to transform nursing education and practice by advocating for inclusion of underrepresented nurses in global health leadership.

Iradukunda was inspired to study nursing after seeing her aunt work as a nurse in her homeland of Rwanda. She wanted to become a nurse to advocate for nurses, which would also improve the delivery of health care.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for my contributions to nursing and health care, both locally and internationally,” she says. “I am excited to join and collaborate with other members of the academy in addressing maternal health disparities and advocating for the inclusion of historically excluded nurses in global health policy and leadership.”

FAAN membership is awarded by invitation as recognition of outstanding accomplishments within the nursing profession and to health care. It offers an opportunity to collaborate with other leaders in health care to tackle the pressing issues of the day.