Susan Hassmiller
September 2022
Susan
Hassmiller
,
PhD, RN, FAAN
HealthImpact

 

 

 

Through her policy work, she has advanced compassionate care for vulnerable populations, under-resourced communities, and the nursing profession.
In recognition of the substantial work of advancing compassionate care through policy, HealthImpact and the DAISY Foundation have presented Dr. Susan Hassmiller with the Lifetime Achievement Award for  Policy for her decades of policy work that has advanced compassionate care.

Dr. Hassmiller epitomizes the very best in nursing. As an outstanding national nursing leader, her advocacy and commitment to leading change in nursing have been profound. She has dedicated her career to strengthening the nursing profession through strategic policy advocacy. Through her policy work, she has advanced compassionate care for vulnerable populations, under-resourced communities, and the nursing profession.

Dr. Hassmiller was the Senior Adviser for Nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF); and the Senior Scholar-in-Residence/Senior Adviser to the President of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She served as the study director for the 2010 report at the Institute of Medicine, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, and also served as lead member of the team for the second report at NAM, The Future of Nursing, 2020-2030: Charting a Path To Achieve Health Equity. She directed the Foundation’s Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action, to implement the recommendations from the landmark reports to improve health through nursing in partnership with AARP. Dr. Hassmiller has a sustained commitment and has established policy activities to raise the voice in nursing. She successfully led policy efforts across the United States and with the support of the Center for Championing Nursing at AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to advocate for policy changes at the national and state levels. She successfully advocated for expanding the role of the nurse at the policy level in the District of Columbia in Washington, D.C. and across the world. Through her visionary and strategic leadership, the nursing profession has reached unprecedented gains with more diverse nurses achieving baccalaureate and doctoral degrees, millions more people gaining access to advanced practice registered nurses through legislative changes in state scope of practice laws, and over 10,000 nurses being placed on boards of directors.

Dr. Hassmiller’s strategic policy influence extended to her lifelong volunteer work with the American Red Cross. She not only worked on the frontlines of disasters, but she also served at the highest policy levels including the Board of Directors, the National Senior Ambassador for Nursing and Health, and Chair of Disaster Services.

Dr. Hassmiller’s strategic policy leadership also extended into her personal life. When her husband tragically died, Dr. Hassmiller openly shared her personal story of coping with grief with compassion. She authored the book, Resetting, to share in a daily diary format, her raw and emotional responses to understanding the human condition. In recognition of her outstanding service on behalf of nursing, Dr. Hassmiller has received many awards and four honorary doctorates, including the Florence Nightingale Medal, the highest international honor given to a nurse by the International Committee of the Red Cross. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, where she holds the Living Legend status.