By Laura Gasque
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners is recognizing University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing faculty members and alumni for their contributions to education, policy, clinical practice, and research. Two faculty members and one alumna will be inducted as Fellows of AANP and another alumna will be honored for their advocacy.
Associate Professor Melanie Gibbons Hallman, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, ACNP-BC, ENP-C, CNS, CEN, TCRN, FAEN, FAAN (BSN 1983, MSN 1990, MSN 1995, DNP 2012), Associate Professor David House, DNP, CRNP, ENP-C, FNP-BC, CNS, CEN, CNE, FAEN, and alumna Jenifer Meno, DNP, FNP-BC, RN-BC (DNP 2016), will be inducted as Fellows of AANP.
Hallman led the development of the School’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Subspecialty, the first in Alabama, and serves as Co-Coordinator of the pathway. She has been a leader in prehospital and hospital-based emergency care for more than 40 years and has practiced as an emergency nurse practitioner for nearly 30 years. Hallman is a founding member and President-Elect of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She currently serves as co-chair of the AANP Emergency NP Community and was recognized by AANP in 2022 with the Alabama Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence. She is a co-author of the inaugural AAENP Emergency NP Core Curriculum and the 2021 Emergency NP Competencies.
House is Co-Coordinator of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Subspecialty and has more than 23 years of experience in administrative and clinical roles. He has practiced as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner for more than 14 years and is a Fellow of the Academy of Emergency Nursing. House serves on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners. He has served as AAENP’s Lead Regional Director since 2019 and Bylaws Committee Chair for two years. Most recently, he served as co-author of the 2021 ENP Competencies.
Retired Army Colonel Meno served 30 years in the Army in multiple leadership and strategic roles during her career. She served as the United States Army, Office of the Surgeon General, Family Nurse Practitioner Consultant (2019-2022) and as the Defense Health Agency’s Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (2019-2022). Her awards and decorations include a Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal. She is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit. Meno earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the UAB School of Nursing in 2016.
AANP also is recognizing another alumna, Salisia Valentine, MSN, FNP (MSN 2009), with the Advocate State Award for Excellence for Alabama for her contributions toward increasing the awareness and recognition of nurse practitioners. Valentine is Vice President of Provider Services at American Family Care, where she oversees more than 200 Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants. She plays a vital role over the clinical operations and consistently volunteers in community outreach. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing at the UAB School of Nursing in 2009.
Awardees from each state will be honored at the 2023 AANP National Conference in June 2023.
