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University of Portland Nursing Professor Amber Vermeesch selected for National Faculty Policy Intensive Program

Nursing

January 15, 2016

University of Portland nursing professor Amber Vermeesch has been selected as one of eight participants from around the nation for the 2016 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Faculty Policy Intensive program, to be held March 21-24, in Washington, D.C. She will also be recognized as an AACN Faculty Policy Fellow.

The FPI program is designed for faculty of AACN member schools who are interested in pursuing a role in healthcare policy. Participants can enhance their knowledge of policy and advocacy through sessions that focus on the legislative process and the dynamic relationships between federal departments, agencies, collaborative partnerships, and individual advocates.

“This opportunity provided by the AACN is one I believe is vital to not only my professional development as a nursing faculty member, but also to the development of nursing faculty nationally,” says Vermeesch. “Nurses must be involved in policy advocacy, especially now current and impending healthcare reforms. Especially in light of the Affordable Care Act and the announcement of the National Nurse for Public Health position, nurses are well positioned to be leading agents of change.”

Vermeesch joined the UP nursing faculty in August 2014. She earned her Ph.D. in nursing science at the University of Miami, Coral Gables in 2011 and her master’s in nursing from Vanderbilt University, Nashville in 2006. She received a 2015-2016 Dundon-Berchtold Institute Fellowship for “Investigating Current Issues Prohibiting Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduate Students from Voicing Their Values During Ethical Dilemmas in the Clinical Environment.”