AACN Honors Columbia Nursing for Excellence in Educational Innovation, Leadership

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has recognized Columbia University School of Nursing with two prestigious national awards, underscoring the school’s leadership in advancing nursing education through innovative teaching strategies, emerging technologies, and transformative educational experiences. 

Natalya Pasklinsky, DNP, assistant dean of the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center and associate professor, received the 2026 AACN Foundation for Academic Nursing Faculty Scholars Grant. The $25,000 award will support her innovative work leveraging artificial intelligence to advance global nursing education and prepare students to deliver culturally responsive care in diverse international settings. 

The initiative will integrate AI-powered, conversational patient avatars into immersive clinical simulations tailored to the cultural and health care contexts of students’ global integration placements. Through realistic, real-time patient interactions, students will have opportunities to navigate cultural nuances, strengthen cross-cultural communication, and practice culturally responsive clinical decision-making before traveling abroad. This innovative approach bridges emerging AI technologies with experiential learning, creating new opportunities to prepare nursing students for meaningful clinical engagement across cultures and health care systems. 

Columbia Nursing also received AACN’s 2026 Innovations in Professional Nursing Education Award in the private school category, recognizing its commitment to re-envisioning nursing education and leading transformative programmatic change. Vice dean of education Mary Hickey, EdD, accepted the award on behalf of Columbia Nursing at AACN’s Academic Nursing Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.