Nursing dean to be inducted as fellow of American Academy of Nursing

Judith McFetridge-Durdle
Judith McFetridge-Durdle, dean of the College of Nursing at Florida State.

Judith McFetridge-Durdle, dean of Florida State University’s College of Nursing, has been selected for induction as a fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing.

McFetridge-Durdle is part of an exceptional class of hospital and government administrators, college deans and renowned scientific researchers who will join more than 2,400 nurse leaders from the education, management, practice, policy and research domains.

“It is truly an honor to be selected for induction as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing,” McFetridge-Durdle said. “My colleagues in the academy are exceptional nursing leaders from around the world, and I am excited by the opportunity to work with them. Together, we will strive to make a difference by advancing health policy and nursing practice.”

McFetridge-Durdle’s selection is the first for FSU’s College of Nursing. She will be inducted during the academy’s annual conference Oct. 22 in Washington, D.C.

“We are so proud of this important recognition of Dean McFetridge-Durdle’s achievements,” said Sally McRorie, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs. “Her research is critically important to the lives of so many people. She is a great example of how our faculty research leads to applications that make the world a better place.”

McFetridge-Durdle’s contributions in research have generated knowledge of the impact of gender, race and age on the vascular response to stress and the role of estrogen in ameliorating this response. Her findings have improved understanding of the role of gender and menopause in the development of heart disease and provide essential evidence for nursing interventions to improve cardiovascular health in women.

A champion for collaborative practice, McFetridge-Durdle led the development of the Seamless Care Model of Interprofessional Education, which brings pre-licensure health professional students together and engages them in collaborative practice with the goal of assisting patients to assume a more central role in managing their illness. This model serves the nursing profession and the public by improving patient safety and supporting patient and family engagement in health care decisions.

McFetridge-Durdle has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Health Canada. She is widely published in scientific journals in nursing, medicine and physiology. For six years, she served as mentor and associate director of FUTURE, a Canadian research training program that prepared cardiovascular nurse scientists to generate and disseminate nursing knowledge to improve patient care.