Two Kaiser Permanente Northern California nurse leaders were inducted in the 2024 Class of Fellows of The American Academy of Nursing at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference held recently in Washington, DC.
Among the group of a distinguished nurse leaders being inducted for their substantial and sustained impact on health and health care were Sharon Hampton, PhD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, WCSI Caritas Coach®, Chief Nurse Executive at the San Leandro Medical Center (pictured left above); and Elizabeth Scruth, PhD, MPH, RN, CNS, CCRN, CCNS, FCCM, FCNS CPHQ, Northern California Executive Director of Clinical Quality Programs, Data Analytics and Tele-Critical Care (pictured right above).
Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) represent nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
Hampton is recognized for her lifelong dedication to advancing equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging (EIDB) principles in health care, and her unwavering commitment to being a voice and advocate for historically excluded populations. Her research exploring how nurses contribute to inequities has garnered national and internal recognition.
As a nurse leader, Hampton is committed to transformational and inclusive leadership. Her work embedding EIDB principles and the Watson Caring Science Theory into nursing education/practice, provide nurses the common language to achieve their higher purpose and transform their practice from knowing and doing to providing the caring-healing environment.
“My life’s work, rooted in my PhD research, is centered on ameliorating health inequities,” said Hampton. “The FAAN nomination and induction represents the culmination of my efforts to address the complex challenges within our health systems and to co-create a more equitable and caring future in health care.”
Scruth, who has been with Kaiser Permanente for over 30 years, said the designation as a FAAN is humbling. “I am very honored to have been recognized and acknowledged for my contributions to nursing and the scientific community,” she said. “The accomplishments, outcomes and level of impact required to have demonstrated to be inducted is significant and takes many years to achieve.”
Scruth’s career as a nurse began at the bedside in the ICU. She became a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist and served in various leadership roles within the organization before joining the Northern California Quality team. She has also served on the Certification Board of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for 8 years.
Throughout her nursing career spanning 2 continents, Scruth has continued to focus on research, including co-authoring published international guidelines for family-centered care in the neonatal, pediatric, and adult ICU, and best practices in tele-critical care.
Congratulations Drs. Hampton and Scruth!