Monaghan man, Professor Hugh McKenna, Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at the University of Ulster, has been appointed an International Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, an accolade that has been accorded to just two other academics in Europe and only sixteen across the world.
Professor McKenna’s other distinctions include being made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (1999), Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (2003) and Fellow of the European Academy of Nursing Science (2003).
In 2008, Professor McKenna was made a CBE – Commander of the British Empire – for contributions to health care and the community. He is one of only a few nurses to receive this prestigious award.
A key focus of his research is on workforce planning, and his solutions to the unregulated growth of innovative nursing roles have been supported by the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council and held up as a model of best practice by many NHS Trusts.
Professor McKenna was a co-founder of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing (INDEN) and played a lead role in its growth across 34 countries.
He is an editor of the International Journal of Nursing Studies, the world’s top rated nursing journal and several of his books have been translated into Filipino, Danish, Japanese and Portuguese.
His research leadership was recognised when he was appointed Chairman of the Nursing Panel in the government’s 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. Since then he has been appointed by the Swedish Government to advise on the selection and funding of research programmes in health and social care.