Dr. Sheila Melander Selected as 2018 Wharton-AACN Fellow
Sheila Melander, PhD, APRN, ACNP-BC, FCCM, FAANP, FAAN, associate dean of MSN and DNP Faculty Affairs & Practice, was selected as a Wharton-AACN Fellow in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 6-9, 2018.
Offered by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the four-day Executive Leadership Program is taught by Wharton faculty, who present relevant and timely content designed to advance chief academic administrators to a higher level of leadership.
The curriculum for the AACN-Wharton program is designed to provide the concepts and tools needed to enhance leadership capacity and hone the skills that are essential to thrive and move forward strategically. The content addresses issues around managing and leading change, influencing and galvanizing a diverse set of stakeholders, and building enterprising relationships in highly volatile environments. Participants leave the program equipped with an advanced set of negotiation, leadership, and influencing skills, as well as the confidence and ability to serve on or lead high-powered boards.
Dr. Melander is a nationally known adult-gerontological acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) leader. She is currently serving a two-year term as president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She was involved in the revision of the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Scope and Standards document in 2006 and was a member of the work committee that established the 2012 Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Competencies. She also led the development of the Statement on Acute Care and Primary Care Certified Nurse Practitioners. Additionally she facilitated the development of a second multiorganizational white paper addressing nurse practitioner employment, which is being used across the U.S. in both primary and acute care settings.
Funded with a grant from the University of Southern Indiana College of Nursing and Health Professions, Dr. Melander started and taught in one of the earliest master’s-level ACNP tracks in the U.S. In 2003 she was recruited to the University of Tennessee College of Nursing to teach in the ACNP Track, where she taught at both the master’s and doctoral levels. Since 2003 she has been involved in high-fidelity simulation to maximize student learning. Dr. Melander has practiced for more than 12 years as a cardiovascular ACNP specialist in both hospital and office settings. She was the first certified ACNP to practice in the Owensboro/Daviess County, Ky., area. While practicing at Sandra Fallon Cardiology in Santa Monica, Calif., she was one of the first practitioners to be involved with advanced genetic counseling for cardiovascular disease treatment and prevention. She is a fellow in the Society of Critical Care Medicine as well as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
