Cromer named Fellow of American Academy of Nursing

Pamela Cromer, DNP, director of Costa Layman International Outreach and Community Engagement and a professor at the Augusta University College of Nursing, has been selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She was recognized for her substantial and sustained impact on health and health care at the annual Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.

A two-time alumna of the College of Nursing when it was part of the Medical College of Georgia, Cromer has over 40 years of experience as a registered nurse. She is a recent recipient of the Excellence in Service-Learning Faculty Award, the 2016 College of Nursing E. Louisa Grant Distinguished Alumna Award and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

“Augusta University has provided me the opportunity and a platform,” Cromer said. “I cherish the fact that I am a graduate of MCG’s Nurse Administration Program and Doctor of Nursing Practice. It is a privilege to represent this great institution as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.”

She was sponsored by CON associate professor Terri Marin, PhD, and Clayton State University College of Health Dean Dwayne Hooks, PhD. Marin and Hooks also earned the prestigious FAAN credential in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

“It is with great honor that I sponsored and endorsed Dr. Comer for Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing as her sentinel work will undoubtedly strengthen and sustain the academy’s mission for years to come,” Marin said.

Cromer is an internationally recognized nurse practitioner leader and scholar in the area of community outreach, and the impact of her extraordinary multidisciplinary work has guided the development of mandates and standards for over 7,000 rural interprofessional health care providers.

Cromer contributes her success to several mentors along the way, including the late Dean Emerita Lucy Marion, PhD. However, distinguished MCG alumna and colleague Debbie Layman provided her the avenue, continuous support and insights into rural health and community engagement within the CSRA and beyond.

“She helped fuel my passion for preventative health services in vulnerable populations,” Cromer said. “Beginning with the Costa Layman International Outreach Clinics since 2006 to now include the Horizon Truckers Clinic and Healthy Grandparent Programs. We have built scalable programs that have been replicated by others within the AU health system.”

Earning the FAAN credential is a significant recognition and represents the highest honor in nursing. The 2024 Class of Fellows was selected from a competitive pool of applicants and represents a cross-section of nursing’s most dynamic leaders who are making positive changes in their systems and communities to champion health and wellness. Cromer’s induction signifies the impact she has made in nursing leadership, innovation and science.

“Being a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurses is the sum total and measure of my career efforts in the nursing profession, and I am humbled and honored to be recognized among the 2% of all nurses who achieve this status,” Cromer said.

The newest fellows represent 37 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and 14 countries. Cromer now joins the 3,000 academy fellows who together leverage their expertise to advance the academy’s vision of healthy lives for all people.

“Getting to see Dr. Cromer be inducted and recognized for her extensive contributions is a tremendous honor,” said Beth NeSmith, PhD, dean of AU’s College of Nursing. “The programs she has built with her community partners and colleagues, and especially with CON alumna and tremendous supporter Debbie Layman, have saved lives, improved the quality of lives and reduced health care costs among the impacted communities for nearly two decades. Dr. Cromer is absolutely one of the most deserving individuals of this honor.”

Cromer, who also serves as the president of the United Advanced Practice Nurses Association, has been invited to serve on the planning committee for future conferences. She plans on utilizing these platforms as a way to encourage others to set high professional standards for their own career paths as they transform the future of health care delivery.

“At these conferences and within organizations, I will use my networking skills to forward the mission, vision and values of the American Academy of Nursing to the students I teach and the members of UAPNA,” Cromer said.

She provided advice to those who wish to make an impact on the nursing profession.

“Find mentors that believe in you and let them help you grow,” she said. “Take control of your own professional destiny and remember to promote others as you are making your way and keep your work patient-centric. Use your influence to give a voice to help your community, wherever that is in the workplace, neighborhoods, state, local or federal levels. Nurses are the backbone of health care, the most trusted profession, and have unique insights that can be innovative and transformative at many levels.”

Cromer would like to thank the following individuals:

• Primary Sponsor: Terri Marin, PhD, NNP- BC, FAAN, FAANP, FNAP, associate professor in the Department of Nursing Science in AU’s College of Nursing and neonatal editor for the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing
• Secondary Sponsor: J. Dwayne Hooks, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, NEA-BC, PMHNP-BC, FACHE, FAANP, FAAN, dean and professor in the College of Health and interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Clayton State University
• Community Partner: Debbie Layman, alumna and Board of Trustees member of the Augusta University Foundation and Costa Layman Health Fairs partner
• Mentor: Janet Sipple, former dean of the School of Nursing at Lander University
• Mentor: Stephanie Burgess, PhD, professor in the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina
• Mentor: Sarah Fuller, PhD, professor in the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina
• Mentor: Ruth Zeigler, faculty in the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina and past president of the South Carolina Board of Nursing
• Mentor: The late Lucy Marion, dean emerita of AU’s College of Nursing