Dr. Norah Johnson, associate professor in the College of Nursing, was named a Fellow for the American Academy of Nursing. She was inducted into the 2021 AAN Class of Fellows at the academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in early October.
AAN Fellows recognize distinguished nurse leaders for their significant contributions to health and health care. Johnson was one of 225 inductees joining the academy of more than 2,900 nursing leaders who are experts in policy, research, administration, practice and academia who champion health and wellness, locally and globally.
“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Johnson as she receives this well-deserved honor,” said Dr. Janet Krejci, dean of the College of Nursing. “Her leadership and contributions to the field of nursing, as well as her commitment to improving the health and circumstances for children on the autism spectrum and their families, make her a tremendous example for Marquette nurses.”
Johnson’s research aims to develop knowledge and interventions to decrease challenging behaviors and improve the health of persons with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder and their caregivers. She studies family care-giving stress, family functioning and quality of life, as well as exercise as medicine, including swimming programs for children with autism and their caregivers. She developed a copyrighted autism Health Care Manager app for iPhone, which she disseminated the healthcare app internationally in her role as a Fulbright specialist in global public health.
Johnson works with an interdisciplinary team as part of the Marquette Autism Initiative. She is also a member of the Milwaukee Pediatric Nursing Research Consortium involved in translational research, implementation evaluation, and developing and evaluating staff development curriculums for pediatric hospitals.
The American Academy of Nursing serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy through organizational excellence and effective nursing leadership. The academy and its fellows create and execute evidence-based and policy-related initiates to advance health care. Academy Fellows are nursing’s most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research. Fellows include association executives; university presidents, chancellors, and deans; state and federal political appointees; hospital chief executives and vice presidents for nursing; nurse consultants; researchers; and entrepreneurs.