The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing Announces New American Academy of Nursing Fellows for 2021

The Johns Hopkins School of Nursing’s (JHSON) Deborah J. Baker, DNP, ACNP, NEA-BC, associate dean for health systems partnership and innovation, and Laura Samuel, PhD, MSN, RN, assistant professor, have been selected for induction as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. The honor celebrates their accomplishments within the nursing profession and their leadership in education, practice, and research.

“What a stellar accomplishment for both of these faculty members, whose expertise and work in nursing have been critical to our profession and the health of people locally and around the world,” says Interim Dean Marie Nolan, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN. “As a senior leader in the Johns Hopkins Health System, Dr. Baker’s leadership, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, has saved patient lives and helped to preserve the health and wellbeing of nurses and other healthcare workers. As a researcher committed to addressing socioeconomic disparities, Dr. Samuel is a model for the profession’s role in overcoming health inequities and meeting the health needs of families and communities.

In addition to her faculty and administrative roles at JHSON, Baker is Senior Vice President of Nursing for the Johns Hopkins Health System and Vice President of Nursing and Patient Care Services at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. She works with chief nursing officers across the Johns Hopkins hospitals to ensure integration of services and alignment with the health system’s strategic goals and objectives. This also includes the provision of quality services, enhancing patient-centered clinical practice environments, and ensuring nursing practice at the highest scope of licensure. Baker is a three-time JHSON alumna, where she now serves on the school’s nursing advisory board.

As a researcher and policy advocate, Samuel examines the pathways that link low income and financial strain to physiologic aging. Her research has revealed that financial strain predicts health outcomes independent of income, suggesting that income adequacy is more important for health than income amount. Her research has also shown that financial strain triggers inflammatory cytokines which are likely key mechanisms underlying socioeconomic disparities, and that household and neighborhood conditions, including disorder, disrepair and neighborhood social cohesion, partly account for socioeconomic disparities in functional outcomes among older adults. Samuel has examined how the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is associated with less health care utilization and improved cardiometabolic health.

Both inductees will be recognized at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference in October.

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Located in Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing is a globally-recognized leader in nursing education, research, and practice. In U.S. News & World Report rankings, the school is No. 1 nationally for its master’s programs, and No. 2 for DNP programs and its online MSN Healthcare Organizational Leadership options. JHSON is ranked No. 1 for total NIH funding among schools of nursing for fiscal year 2020. In addition, the school is ranked by QS World University as the No. 3 nursing school in the world, No.1 by College Choice for its master’s program, and No. 1 by NursingSchoolHub.com for its DNP program. For more information, visit www.nursing.jhu.edu.