DETROIT - Three faculty members in the Wayne State University College of Nursing have achieved Fellow status from the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). This designation is awarded to the most accomplished nurse leaders who have demonstrated sustained achievements in education, health management, nursing practice and research.

Associate professors Rosalind Peters, RN, MSN, Ph.D.; Deborah Walker, RN, MS, DNSc.; and Feleta Wilson, RN, MPH, Ph.D., Fulbright Scholar, conduct research centered on health disparities and urban health.

Peters focuses her research on the prevention and control of hypertension, preventive self-care, the impact of stress on health, and the effect of racism on cardiovascular functioning. She has studied the impact of environmental stress on pregnancy and child health.

Walker investigates ways to encourage healthy pregnancies and translate evidence-based medicine into clinical practice. She has conducted five studies relating to promotion of healthy pregnancy, including an analysis of a Centering Pregnancy model for prenatal care as a potential way to help low-income, predominantly African American women.

Wilson\'s efforts to improve health outcomes focus on health literacy, patient education, and urban and community health. Her study of patients taking blood thinners at a Detroit clinic demonstrated the need for more readable, appropriate materials to encourage patient compliance. She is vice chair of Detroit Community Health Connection Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides primary care and dental services at four sites in Detroit.

The AAN advances health policy and practice through the creation and dissemination of nursing knowledge. It has 1,500 Fellows and is based in Washington, D.C.

Wayne State University is one of the nation\'s preeminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and throughout the world.