VCU School of Nursing faculty member receives AANP Virginia State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence
Shelly Smith, DNP, APRN-BC, FNAP (M.S.’01/N), associate professor and director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at the VCU School of Nursing, has been named recipient of the 2021 American Association of Nurse Practitioners® Virginia State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence. This prestigious award is given annually to a dedicated nurse practitioner (NP) and NP advocate in each state. Recipients will be honored at an awards ceremony and reception held during the 2021 AANP National Conference, June 15—20, in Anaheim, CA.
The State Award for NP Excellence, founded in 1991, recognizes an NP in each state who demonstrates excellence in practice. In 1993, the State Award for NP Advocate Excellence was added to recognize the efforts of individuals who have made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of the NP role.
“It’s exciting to have one of our faculty members recognized with such an extraordinary honor,” said Jean Giddens, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, dean and professor of the VCU School of Nursing. “This award further highlights Dr. Smith’s tremendous impact on nursing practice across Virginia.”
A practice and policy scholar, Smith completed a policy fellowship in 2018 through the Office of Public Policy Outreach program at the Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU. Her fellowship work focused on translating nurse practitioner outcomes research into public policy, which informed Virginia House Bill 793: Nurse practitioners, practice agreements.
The author of numerous publications, Smith is currently the inaugural Translational Research Fellow in Residence at the Wilder School’s Center for Public Policy. She is also an affiliate scholar to the VCU Langston Center for Innovation in Quality and Safety and serves as the only nurse representative on Academy Health’s State Health Research and Policy Interest Group Advisory Committee.
Smith has been recognized with numerous awards, including an honorable mention as one of the Virginia Nurses Association’s Virginia’s Top 40 under 40 nurses in 2015, the Donna Campanella Distinguished Nurse Practitioner award in 2018, and the Virginia Nurse Practitioner of Year award in 2019.
