Kreitzer Inducted Into American Academy of Nursing

NEWS RELEASE

U OF M EXPERT ON HOLISTIC HEALING PRACTICES TO BE INDUCTED AS A FELLOW IN THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSING

Minneapolis/St. Paul (November 12, 2005) - In recognition of her expertise and leadership in the field of complementary therapies and healing practices, School of Nursing Associate Professor and Center for Spirituality and Healing Director Mary Jo Kreitzer, PhD, RN, today was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. The Academy is comprised of 1,500 distinguished nursing leaders who are among the most influential in the profession and within healthcare. The induction ceremony took place at the Academy's annual conference in Phoenix.

Under Kreitzer's direction, the Center for Spirituality and Healing has become a national leader in integrative health care. This fall 340 students are enrolled in the Complementary Therapies and Healing Practices graduate minor, the first of its kind in the country.

"Renewed interest in holistic healing practices is profoundly affecting health sciences education and what is expected of nurses," Kreitzer says. "Patients have discovered, and evidence-based research supports, that therapies that consider body, mind and spirit are key to optimal care. Increasingly, nurses skilled in holistic practices are being requested from both patients and healthcare employers."

Dr. Kreitzer is an investigator on several research projects including a National Institutes of Health-funded study of mind-body interventions with patients who have received solid organ transplants. She is on the editorial board of several professional journals and speaks and consults throughout the country on topics related to health care innovation.

AAN's mission is to serve the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Each member has contributed significantly and developed a reputation for a particular area of scholarship and/or leadership.

Twelve members of the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing (SoN) are now Fellows in the Academy. In addition to Kreitzer, they include: Linda Bearinger, Donna Bliss, Connie Delaney, Joanne Disch, Sandra Edwardson, Ann Garwick, Barbara Leonard, Joan Liaschenko, Ruth Lindquist, Mariah Snyder, Mary Fran Tracy, and Jean Wyman.

The Center for Spirituality & Healing is a national leader in mind-body interventions and culturally based healing practices. The Center is part of the Academic Health Center, home to the University of Minnesota's six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. The AHC prepares health professionals to improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatment options and cures as well as strengthen the health of our economy.

The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, ranked among the nation's top nursing schools, is a leader in improving health care through research, education and service. Its scientists, renowned nationally and around the world, discover practical health care treatments and solutions people can use today to improve their daily lives. The oldest continuing university-based school of nursing in the world, it has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school produces 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. The School of Nursing is one of seven schools and colleges in the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education.

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