NLN Chief Legal Officer Named 2021 American Academy of Nursing Fellow
Induction Ceremony for Prestigious Society of Leaders in Health Care
Set for October 7-9
Washington, DC — Linda Christensen, EdD, JD, MSN, RN, CNE, chief legal officer at the National League for Nursing, has been selected for the 2021 Class of Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, a major honor and career accomplishment. Fellows are chosen for their outstanding contributions to clinical practice, research, education or policy.
Dr. Christensen, a member of the League’s senior staff, has more than 40 years of experience in nursing education, ranging from teaching nursing assistant classes at a community college to teaching graduate nursing students. Her time as an education administrator included service as program director for various levels of nursing; dean of nursing; and vice president of academic affairs.
As a lawyer, she has served as a civil litigator, in-house attorney, and legal writing instructor. For the past 30 years, Dr. Christensen has been tapped as an expert witness on a variety of health and education-related trials and legal proceedings. The author of a number of chapters in publications on legal issues in nursing education, Dr. Christensen has also been a frequent speaker on the intersection of nursing education and the law.
“Nurse. Educator. Lawyer. Linda has done it all, with characteristic brilliance and grace, sharing her expertise, wisdom and vision with colleagues and mentees alike over her multi-faceted and fascinating career,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “As an American Academy of Nursing Fellow myself, I wear that credential proudly and I am delighted to have Linda join me in this distinguished company. On behalf of the National League for Nursing, I offer heartfelt congratulations to Linda on this well-deserved honor.”
The Academy is an honorific society that recognizes nursing's most accomplished leaders in policy, research, practice, administration, and academia. Academy Fellows, from nearly 40 countries, hold a wide variety of roles influencing health care. Induction into the Fellowship represents more than recognition of one's accomplishments within the nursing profession.
Fellows contribute their collective expertise to the Academy, engaging with health leaders nationally and globally to improve health and achieve health equity by impacting policy through nursing leadership, innovation, and science.
Fellows are selected each year through a competitive, rigorous application process overseen by the Academy’s Fellow Selection Committee, comprised of current Fellows. They reviewed hundreds of applications to select the 2021 Fellows. Dr. Christensen was one of 225 individuals selected to be inducted into the 2021 Class of Fellows, which will represent 38 states, the District of Columbia, and 18 countries.
The 2021 inductees will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care on October 7-9. This year’s conference and induction ceremony will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing attendees to participate either in-person at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C., or virtually. Personalized video vignettes and live streamed appearances of each inductee will offer a special way to recognize the new Fellows.
For more about Dr. Christensen, click on About and Who’s Who at the NLN, Senior Management Team, at NLN.org.
About the National League for Nursing
Dedicated to excellence in nursing, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its nearly 45,000 individual and 1,100 institutional members, comprising nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education and health care organizations. Learn more at NLN.org.
