By Laura Gasque
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Dean and Fay B. Ireland Endowed Chair Maria R. Shirey, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FACHE, FNAP, FAAN, has been selected for the American Academy of Nursing Finance Committee for the 2025-27 term. The selection reflects Shirey’s valuable experience and expertise.
“I am honored to be selected for this prestigious committee and to contribute to its important work with the Academy,” Shirey said.
The American Academy of Nursing advances health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their contributions to improve health locally and globally. Shirey was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy in 2010. More than 130 other FAANs are affiliated with the School.
“From serving on national committees to leading nursing and professional organizations, leadership is in our faculty’s DNA at the UAB School of Nursing,” Shirey said. “The School supports the development and growth of faculty who are dedicated to making an impact as nurse leaders.”
Earlier this year, Shirey was inducted into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Her unique interprofessional point of view has allowed her to bring to UAB extramural funding of more than $20 million since 2013. She has been awarded three U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration training grants to establish the now sustained Heart Failure Transitional Care Services for Adults (HRTSA) Clinic in collaboration with UAB Medicine, and to help improve health outcomes in medically underserved areas.
In 2019, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership recognized Shirey with its Nurse Researcher Award for her career contributions to advancing leadership and health systems science, and she received the inaugural Suzanne Smith Memorial Award for Scholarly Writing Excellence from the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing in 2016.