Sharon Lamberton Named American Academy of Nursing Fellow

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Mason alumna and CHHS advisory board member to be recognized with one of the highest nursing honors.

Sharon Lamberton
Sharon Lamberton

The College of Health and Human Services is pleased to share that alumna and Dean’s Advisory Board member Sharon Lamberton (MS, Health Policy '01) has been recognized for her extraordinary achievements by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), earning the title Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Lamberton joins Paula Graling (BSN '82, MSN '96) as the second FAAN currently on the College’s Advisory Board. Lamberton (MS, Health Policy '01was awarded the Distinguished Alumna of the Year from the College in 2020.

Each year nurses are selected as AAN Fellows on the basis of their contributions to the medical field and nursing as a discipline. FAANs are leaders, not only within the nursing profession, but they also play a part in higher education, conduct research, champion for health care policy, and more. This year’s 2022 cohort of nursing Fellows is the largest class to date.

Previously, Lamberton served as a neurology nurse at the National Institutes for Health. She has worked to improve health policy with the General Accounting Office (GAO), the National Committee to Preserve Social Security, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). 

Currently, Lamberton serves as deputy vice president of state policy at PhRMA, a trade association of 33 biopharmaceutical companies based in Washington, DC. She is primary liaison for PhRMA to the National Governors’ Association, National Foundation of Women Legislators, Women In Government, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

“I attribute my success to mentors like Drs. P.J. Maddox, Len Nichols, and Mary Wakefield who took time to help mold me and helped me develop my professional goals early in my career," said Lamberton. “Mason is one of the best kept secrets. We need to get the word out about Mason’s talented faculty and their research that’s making transformative changes. Alumni, potential students, and community leaders should know the quality individuals that the University is attracting and retaining. For me, the driving motivation to attend Mason was their offer to tailor my graduate degree according to my interests and needs. In addition, some of the top health policy experts in nursing were leading Centers, programs, and teaching classes at Mason.”   

The Induction Ceremony will be held on in Washington, D.C., Saturday, October 29, at the Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference.

Congratulations again to Sharon Lamberton and all awardees of the American Academy of Nursing Fellowships.