Kelly Allred ’07PhD, Jean Davis ’19PhD and Ladda Thiamwong were inducted as Distinguished Fellows of the National Academies of Practice in Nursing.
Three UCF College of Nursing faculty experts — Kelly Allred ’07PhD, Jean Davis ’19PhD, and Ladda Thiamwong — have been named Distinguished Fellows by the National Academies of Practice in Nursing.
The National Academies of Practice is comprised of interprofessional healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting affordable, accessible, coordinated quality healthcare for all.
The Distinguished Fellow honor recognizes individuals with outstanding achievements and leadership in their respective fields, and who demonstrate a commitment to interprofessional practice. Allred, Davis and Thiamwong were recognized at the official induction ceremony on March 16, 2024.
Kelly Allred ’07PhD
For Clinical Associate Professor Kelly Allred, interprofessional collaboration has been the core of her career both in her previous clinical practice and for the past three decades, in her research and teaching at UCF.
“Effective nursing practice requires teamwork, and I realized early in my career the best patient outcomes came through interprofessional collaboration and remaining patient centered,” said Allred. “As I transitioned to academia, educating nurses to value interprofessional teamwork was a priority.”
At UCF, Allred has designed and facilitated multiple interdisciplinary simulation learning activities to foster collaboration among graduate and undergraduate students across healthcare majors.
Her research focuses on multimodal pain management and using technology to enhance learning, both of which benefit from collaboration and a team approach. Most recently Allred has been collaborating with other disciplines to develop interprofessional pain management curriculum as part of a grant from the Genius Foundation.
Jean Davis ’19PhD
Assistant Professor Jean Davis actively collaborates with nurses, physicians, psychologists and epidemiologists on her research which seeks to enhance health among at-risk patients through exercise habit formation.
Davis is an expert on health behavior change and dedicated to promoting health policy as a speaker, researcher, teacher and mentor. In 2023, she was an invited panelist of the European Health Psychology Society’s Synergy Expert Meeting. She was also recently honored for her leadership in the field by the American Public Health Association Physical Activity Section.
“Interdisciplinary education, practice and research advance health by harnessing the collective knowledge and wisdom of interdisciplinary teams,” said Davis. “I am honored to be included among the Distinguished Fellows of the National Academies of Practice who all focus on interdisciplinary collaboration for health.”
In addition to her research, Davis collaborates with other healthcare professionals in her clinical practice. She serves as a volunteer family nurse practitioner and population health clinical nurse specialist with a national and international service organizations.
Ladda Thiamwong
Through her interdisciplinary research and scholarly activities, Associate Professor Ladda Thiamwong has made significant contributions to fall prevention, healthy aging, and enhancing health equity among older adults.
She is currently leading a $2.3 million interdisciplinary project at UCF to test an innovative intervention to prevent falls.
“Being at UCF has provided a network of support that has made this honor and other achievements possible,” said Thiamwong. “I am especially grateful for the opportunities in interdisciplinary teamwork, which opens broad perspectives and community-engaged pathways to transform healthcare and improve the lives of our older citizens and beyond.”
Her commitment to interprofessional practice and collaboration extends into the Central Florida and global community. She shares her expertise as a member of the City of Orlando Mayor’s Committee on Livability and Healthy Aging, and is a co-convener of the Gerontological Society of America Aging Among Asians Interest Group. In that role, she leads international interprofessional collaboration in aging research focused on mitigating the long-term consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults.
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