Maria Shirey, Ph.D., RN, FACHE, FAAN, assistant dean for clinical affairs and partnerships and professor in the Department of Community Health, Outcomes and Systems in the School of Nursing, has been elected president of the American Board of Nursing Specialties (ABNS) for the 2013-15 term. Shirey began serving in that role on July 1 after having served as president-elect from 2011-13.ABNS is a not-for-profit, membership organization focused on improving patient outcomes and consumer protection by promoting specialty nursing certification. It was incorporated in 1991 to create uniformity in nursing certification and to increase public awareness of the value of quality certification to health care. ABNS member organizations represent more than a half million certified registered nurses worldwide. Shirey earned her doctorate in nursing science from Indiana University with a focus in health systems and leadership, as well as her MBA from Tulane University. Prior to coming to UAB, Shirey was an associate professor in the University of Southern Indiana College of Nursing and Health Professions, and she was a nursing-leadership consultant.
