Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nursing Leader Elected to Institute of Medicine
Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today congratulated its senior adviser for nursing, Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, FAAN, for her election to the Institute of Medicine (IOM). It is one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Hassmiller, who shapes and leads RWJF’s strategies to transform the nursing profession to improve health and health care, is among 70 new members and 10 foreign associates recognized by the IOM for outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
“Susan Hassmiller is an exceptional asset to the Foundation and to the field of health care,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, president and CEO of RWJF, the nation’s largest health care philanthropy. “We are thrilled that the Institute of Medicine has recognized her for something the Foundation has long known: that she exemplifies the qualities of leadership that will promote a culture of health and make the United States a healthier nation.”
Hassmiller joined RWJF in 1997. In partnership with AARP, she directs the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, which is leading a nationwide effort to transform nursing in order to improve health care in the United States. The Campaign for Action is implementing recommendations from the landmark 2010 IOM report The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, for which she served as study director. The Campaign’s goal is that everyone in America can live a healthier life, supported by a system in which nurses are essential partners in providing care and promoting health.
Her background includes extensive involvement with the Red Cross; public health positions at the local, state and national levels; and academic positions at the University of Nebraska and George Mason University. Hassmiller is the 2009 recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international honor given to a nurse by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“It’s always an honor to work with the Institute of Medicine in any capacity,” said Hassmiller. “To be elected to membership and join a roster of so many esteemed colleagues is nothing short of humbling, and incredibly exciting. I am grateful to the IOM for this recognition, and I look forward to new opportunities to move health care forward.”
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For more than 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.