Community Health Center’s Mary Blankson Named American Academy of Nursing Fellow

Mary Blankson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, Chief Nursing Officer, Community Health Center, Inc., has been selected by the American Academy of Nursing as a 2020 Fellow. In receiving this prestigious designation, Dr. Blankson joins an Academy of more than 2,700 national nursing leaders who demonstrate expertise in policy, research, administration, practice and academia championing health and wellness.

Fellows are selected based on their contributions to advancing public health by a committee of elected fellows through a competitive, rigorous process from a pool of hundreds of applicants.  Induction into the Academy is a significant milestone in a nurse leader’s career in which their accomplishments are honored by their colleagues within the profession.

As Chief Nursing Officer, Dr. Blankson oversees diverse nursing services across the CHC network, including primary care, health care for the homeless, and school based health services. She is responsible for ensuring the quality and expansion of nursing services, the development of nursing policy, and continuing nurse education. She was instrumental in the creation and design of the National Institute for Medical Assistant Advancement (NIMAA) and is a senior faculty member of the Weitzman Institute.

Dr. Blankson earned her MSN at Yale University in 2005 and completed her DNP education at Johns Hopkins University in 2015. In 2017, Dr. Blankson was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Quinnipiac University School of Nursing for her contribution to nursing and for helping meet the health care needs of the underserved.

“I am humbled and honored to be selected as one of the 2020 Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing, particularly in this the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife,” said Dr. Blankson. “I am hopeful that this recognition will further my work and that of Community Health Center, Inc. to highlight the essential role of the Primary Care Registered Nurse and of Nurse Executives in the primary care space. These roles are crucial to support and bolster practice transformation that will ensure quality health care delivery for all.”

According to Margaret Flinter, APRN, PhD, FAAN, FAANP, CHC Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, “Dr. Blankson’s selection as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing is richly deserved. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership in her role as the Chief Nurse Officer of the Community Health Center, Inc. and has also become a national leader in supporting health care organizations transform their model of care towards one that is team based, data driven, and patient centric. It is an honor to be selected as a Fellow, but the really important work—using the power of the Academy and the voice of nursing to drive transformation in health and health care—begins now and has never been more important.” Dr. Blankson and her fellow inductees will be recognized at the Academy’s annual conference, taking place virtually in October.