The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) today announced that Sharon Horner, PhD, RN, MC-CNS, FAAN, Professor and Dolores V. Sands Chair in Nursing Research at the University of Texas in Austin has been elected President of the 2016-2017 NACNS Board of Directors.
Horner has been a member of NACNS since 1997. She served on the Board of Directors as Secretary from 2010 to 2012 before being elected as President-Elect last year. She has also served on the Bylaws Committee and Conference Planning Committee and participated in Family/Individual Across the Lifespan and CNS Competencies Task Forces and the Legislative/Regulatory Committee.
Horner is a Fellow at the American Academy of Nursing; member of the Texas Clinical Nurse Specialists, American Nurses Association, Texas Nurses Association, and Council for the Advancement of Nursing Science; and is a full member of the American Thoracic Society. Horner has been a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing since 1990. She also is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Society of Pediatric Nurses and the Southern Nursing Research Society.
“It’s an honor to serve as NACNS Board President during this pivotal time in nursing and in health care,” said Horner. “Now, more than ever, we need to do all we can to ensure that clinical nurse specialists have all the authority and resources they need to completely fulfill their roles as leaders in health care. I’m excited to be leading the only association devoted to supporting and promoting the role of the clinical nurse specialist as we pursue the necessary legislative, regulatory and educational paths to strengthening this crucial nursing role.”
Among the awards she has received are the 2014 Sue B. Davidson Service Award from NACNS; 2013 Award for Research in Minority Health from the Southern Nursing Research Society; 2013 Researcher of the Year from the Texas Rural Health Association; 2011 Dolores Sands Award for Excellence in Research from Epsilon Theta; and 2009 Reviewer Award from the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing.
“Sharon has been active in NACNS for many years and we look forward to her leadership and guidance as we continue to build and strengthen this association, advance the vital role of the clinical nurse specialist and improve health care,” said NACNS Executive Director Melinda Mercer Ray, MSN, RN.
Horner holds a PhD and MSN from Medical College of Georgia, Augusta. She earned her BSN and ASN at Armstrong State College in Savannah, Ga.