The only inductee from Utah in 2023 to be awarded the highest honor a nurse can achieve, Professor and Doctor of Nursing, Katreena Merrill PhD, RN, CIC, FAPIC was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing as a member of the 2023 class of fellows.
“This year’s group of inductees truly represents today’s thought leaders and the diversity of our profession’s policy leaders, practitioners, educators, and innovators. Each Fellow of the Academy is changing the future of health and health care through their support to advance equity, promote inclusion, and lift up the next generation of nurses, advancing the Academy’s vision of healthy lives for all people” said AAN President Kenneth R. White, PhD, RN, AGACNP, ACHPN, FACHE, FAAN.
To achieve this, Dr. Merrill’s research focused on antibiotic resistance, which is one of the biggest threats to global health. Antibiotic resistance occurs as bacteria become resistant to the use of medicines. This process is particularly a danger to our ability to combat infectious diseases.
Dedicated to helping nurses around the world understand and mitigate the effects of antibiotic resistance, Dr. Merrill developed and validated a device. According to Dr. Merrill, the instrument can be used “to measure nurses' knowledge and attitudes about antibiotic stewardship. [It] has been adopted nationally and internationally and translated into several different languages”.
Not merely a global leader, Dr. Merrill has also made and continues to make significant contributions to our BYU community. Her leadership in the school of nursing and compassion for her students is a testament to her personal devotion to the mission of BYU and the true reason for learning and teaching the healers art.
The induction occurred on October 7th , 2023, and was held in Washington D.C.