Jennie C. De Gagne, PhD, DNP, RN-BC, CNE, associate professor, and Valerie K. Sabol, PhD, ACNPBC, GNPBC, CNE, FAANP, professor and chair of the Health Care in Adult Populations Division, both for Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON), will be inducted as fellows in the National League for Nursing (NLN) Academy of Nursing Education on September 23 in Orlando, Florida. The Academy honors nurse educators who have made contributions to innovative teaching and/or learning strategies, nursing education research, faculty development activities, academic leadership, promotion of public policy that advances nursing education and/or collaborative educational, practice or community partnerships.

De Gagne is a registered nurse with more than 25 years of experience including acute care, long-term care, case management, staff development, administration and nursing education both in South Korea and the U.S. She led research projects on the use of technology to improve nursing education and health care globally, particularly in communities with scarce resources. She is currently conducting studies on promoting cybercivility among health professions students and faculty across the curriculum and policies.

“Becoming a fellow with the NLN Academy of Nursing Education is something I’ve dreamed of and worked toward since I became a nurse educator,” said De Gagne. “The mission of the organization – to promote excellence in nursing to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of our nation and of the global community – aligns well with my philosophy of education aiming at globalizing nursing education through innovation.”

A long-standing advocate for innovative teaching strategies to help students learn better and educators teach better, De Gagne believes this fellowship will empower her to give back to the profession. “As I keep striving to be a role model for nursing excellence and to inspire the next generation of nurses and nurse educators, I will undoubtedly become a more effective steward for nursing excellence through this fellowship,” she said.

Sabol has more than 20 years of acute and critical care experience and is board certified as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. Before being named chair of the Health Care in Adult Populations Division for DUSON, she served as the accelerated BSN program director and the director of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner specialty in the MSN program, both at DUSON. In addition, she currently provides care as a nurse practitioner at Duke University Medical Center with the Endocrinology Inpatient Consultation Service.

“As a practicing nurse practitioner and educator, the foci of my contributions within nursing and health care have been developing innovative and interprofessional educational approaches for safe and sensitive obesity-related care,” Sabol said. “And as a nurse educator for 16 years, I have always sought new ways to effectively engage students in learning and innovative ways to evaluate what they have learned. My hope is that my educational expertise will support the NLN’s goal to develop, design and advance initiatives that have broad-based significance and promote evidence-based teaching practices.”

The NLN established the Academy of Nursing Education to foster excellence in nursing education by recognizing and capitalizing on the wisdom of outstanding nurse educators. To date, 234 leaders in nursing education, from nursing programs across the academic spectrum and from other organizations committed to advancing the quality of health care in the U.S. and around the world, have been inducted into the Academy.