Professor Seamus Cowman, Head of Department, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI, was made a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (ANN) at the annual conference of the ANN in Washington last week where his achievements in nursing, at both a national and international level, were honoured.

Irish Ambassador to the United States, Michael Collins welcomed Professor Seamus Cowman and Lenette Cowman to the Irish Embassy in Washington on Friday, 12 November. Ambassador Collins congratulated Professor Cowman on such an achievement, while Cowman stated that such an accolade is a great honour, one of which he is very proud.

Professor Cowman is the first Irish applicant from Ireland to be accepted for Fellowship of the AAN. Eligibility for Fellowship of the AAN requires specific evidence of outstanding contributions to the improvement of nursing at national and international level. AAN's 1,600 members, of which fewer than 20 are from outside the US, are nursing's most accomplished leaders in education, management, practice and research.

They have been recognised for their extraordinary nursing careers and are among the nation's most highly-educated citizens; more than 80 percent hold doctoral degrees, and the rest have completed masters programs. Sixty-four percent of the Fellowship work in academic settings, 30 percent work in service and practice settings, and about 3% work in state and federal government agencies.