AONE Announces 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) today announced Pamela Austin Thompson, MS, RN, CENP, FAAN, AONE CEO emeritus, is the 2017 recipient of its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors an AONE member recognized by the nursing community as a significant leader in the nursing profession who has served AONE in an important leadership capacity. Thompson will be honored during an awards presentation March 30 at AONE’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore.

Thompson is chief executive officer emeritus of AONE. Prior to her appointment, she served 16 years as AONE CEO and was named senior vice president nursing/chief nursing officer of the American Hospital Association (AHA) in 2010. In her dual role, she led the AHA Workforce Center’s efforts to strengthen the health care workforce and the redesign of patient care delivery. Thompson also served as the director of the national program office for the Academic Progression in Nursing grant initiative, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, to help increase the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree.

Before joining AONE, Thompson was vice president of the Children’s Hospital, obstetrics, psychiatric services and strategic planning at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She served as the chair of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) Board of Directors, was a member of the Lucien Leape Institute of NPSF and the NPSF Board of Advisors. Thompson also was chair of the New Hampshire Hospital Association board of trustees and the New Hampshire Foundation for Health Communities, as well as past president of the New Hampshire Organization of Nurse Executives. Thompson was a founding member of the Behavioral Health Network in New Hampshire and served as chairman of the board.

Thompson is the recipient of numerous awards including the American College of Healthcare Executives 2009 Edgar C. Hayhow Award for an article she co-wrote about the results of a national survey on chief nursing officer retention and turnover. She also received the California Association of Nurse Leaders Lifetime Achievement Award and National League for Nursing’s President’s Award.

She earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Rochester, New York and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Connecticut. Thompson is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

About the American Organization of Nurse Executives
AONE is the national professional organization for nurses who design, facilitate and manage care. With more than 9,700 members, AONE is the leading voice of nursing leadership in health care. Since 1967, the organization has provided leadership, professional development, advocacy and research to advance nursing practice and patient care, promote nursing leadership excellence and shape public policy for health care. AONE is a subsidiary of the American Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.aone.org.