Alderden inducted to national honor society, the second from Idaho

The American Academy of Nursing recently inducted associate professor Jenny Alderden into their fellowship. Alderden is now one of only two nurses from Idaho to receive this honor.

Becoming a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing is the most prestigious designation in the field of nursing, and it means much more than the addition of a few letters behind your name (although fellows do distinguish themselves with the abbreviation "FAAN"). Nurses are inducted for their "extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally," and Alderden more than qualifies.

Alderden is nationally recognized for her work in pressure injuries and artificial intelligence, including explainable artificial intelligence. She focuses on clinical innovations to improve patient outcomes, including the use of AI in real-world settings such as hospitals and long-term care facilities.

"While Jenny's scholarship has resulted in meaningful practice changes to international clinical guidelines, closer to home, Jenny is also a critical nurse and board member of Idaho's Wound Care Coalition which impacts care here in our community," said Amy Spurlock, professor and JoAnna "Jody" DeMeyer Endowed Chair in Nursing. "Being selected as a fellow means that her scholarship promotes the impactful work done by an Idahoan and Boise State University nursing faculty."

Alderden first stepped into nursing leadership when she was selected to be the head nurse of a shock trauma platoon in Al Anbar, Iraq while serving as a Navy Lieutenant.

She went on to become very involved with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and in 2022, she received the organization's Impact Award. She contributed to the International Wound Healing Society guidelines as a co-author, and also serves as co-editor of a column on health technology in Critical Care Nurse, a journal of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

"Nurses are at the forefront of improving health locally and globally," Alderden said. "I'm honored to join the Academy Fellows in this mission to advance healthcare innovation and make a meaningful difference in patients' lives."

Alderden was inducted during the American Academy of Nursing's annual health policy conference in Washington, D.C. in October. She was nominated for membership by colleagues Tracey Yap, professor at Duke University and Mollie Cummins, professor at the University of Utah.

According to the academy, nurses are inducted by the state in which they reside. Another Boise State faculty and founder of Civility Matters, professor emeritus Cynthia Clark, was the first Idahoan inducted in 2011.

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