Dr. Sally Thorne has become the first BC nurse to be inducted as an International Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing. In a ceremony in Washington DC, she was joined by four other Canadian nursing leaders in receiving the honorific designation “FAAN.”

Thorne’s research in the fields of chronic illness and cancer experience has highlighted the importance of relational aspects in effective health care delivery systems. She works with health care professionals, health service decision makers, and patient advocacy groups to find better ways to assist patients in navigating health care systems and negotiating for the health supports they require.

Selected career accomplishments thus far include receiving the Award of Distinction from the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia, being named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award by the Women’s Executive Network, and being elected to Fellowship in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

The American Academy of Nursing was formed in 1973 by 36 charter members, one of whom was Dr. Marilyn Willman, who later became Director of the UBC School of Nursing. It “serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge” (www.aannet.org). AAN Fellows represent nursing’s most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research. International fellowship is a relatively new phenomenon, awarded on the basis of evidence that the individual’s work has had significant and sustained international impact.