Bakken to be Honored as Living Legend
Suzanne Bakken, PhD, professor of biomedical informatics and Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing, has been recognized as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN).
AAN awards this distinction, its highest honor, annually to a select group of accomplished, visionary nurse leaders. Bakken is Columbia University School of Nursing’s fourth Living Legend, joining Mary Mundinger, DrPH (2023), Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD (2020), and Elaine Larson, PhD (2017).
Bakken, an internationally renowned expert in biomedical informatics, has made multiple contributions in terminology and standards, quality improvement, informatics to advance health equity and social justice, and advanced visualization to promote culturally congruent, health literate communication.
The academy highlighted Bakken’s achievements in its July 18, 2024, announcement: “She was instrumental in drafting influential National Academies’ reports through her work as a member of the Committee on Data Standards for Patient Safety and Committee on Return of Individual-Specific Results Generated in Research Laboratories. Her research focuses on the role of informatics and data science to improve health and advance health equity and Dr. Bakken’s holistic view of data’s potential to revolutionize clinical practice has led her to consult nationally and internationally in the field of informatics, author over 300 publications, receive continuous funding for over 25 years, and receive numerous awards and honors.”
Dean Lorraine Frazier, PhD, noted: “Through her trailblazing work as a researcher, educator, and leader, Professor Bakken has made countless contributions to Columbia Nursing and the nursing profession. We are thrilled to see her receive this most deserved honor.” Bakken is also an affiliate of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University.
Bakken will be honored along with four other nurse leaders at the Living Legend Ceremony, to be held at AAN’s Health Policy Conference on Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2024.
“I am delighted to celebrate these legendary nurses who have transformed the profession’s impact by designing pioneering evidence-based models of care. The commitment and passion towards advancing health equity demonstrated throughout their careers is truly outstanding,” AAN President Linda Scott, PhD, said in the press release.