Four from UCLA Nursing & Health selected as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing

Four nursing leaders, educators, and scientists from across the UCLA School of Nursing and UCLA Health have been inducted into this year’s American Academy of Nursing (AAN) 2023 Class of Fellows, one of the most prestigious honors in nursing. 

Dr. Ali Tayyeb, UCLA School of Nursing, Dr. Quanna Batiste-Brown, UCLA Health, Dr. Lee Galuska, UCLA Health, and Dr. Melissa Reider-Demer, UCLA Health, are part of the 253-member class recognized for their substantial, sustained, and outstanding impact on health and health care. This year’s inductees represent AAN’s largest class ever, hailing from more than 40 states and 13 countries worldwide. 

“As the American Academy of Nursing’s President, it gives me great pride to welcome these incredible leaders into our organization during our 50th anniversary year. Reflecting on the Academy’s history, we began with 36 Charter Fellows in 1973 who saw the need for an organization that would recognize and elevate the impact of nursing on health care,” said Kenneth R. White, PhD, RN, AGACNP, ACHPN, FACHE, FAAN.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to recognize an exceptionally talented group of nurse leaders from our health system, UCLA Health, and School," said UCLA Nursing's Dr. Kristen Choi, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, who represented the School and Dean Lin Zhan at the recent induction ceremony. "In Los Angeles County, our health system nurse leaders have a tremendous opportunity to influence population health in one of the most large, diverse communities in the country. UCLA Health is a leader in excellent nursing care in Los Angeles because of individuals like our new fellows."

UCLA’s 2023 Academy Fellows: 

Dr. Ali R. Tayyeb, PhD, RN, NPD-BC, PHN, is a United States Navy Veteran, having served as a Fleet Marine Force Corpsman with Naval Medical Center San Diego, 1st Marine Division, and 3rd Marine Division. Dr. Tayyeb’s experiences in the healthcare field include combat trauma, emergency medicine, education, Human Patient Simulation, Professional Development, Leadership, Veterans Healthcare, and Policy.  Dr. Tayyeb is a Jonas Veterans Healthcare Scholar Alumnus, is currently the Director of Technology, Innovation, and Design, and Adjunct Associate Professor at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Nursing. He is also the Creator of the RN-Mentor Podcast, and the Zero Dark Thirty Veterans Health Researcher Network. Though Dr. Tayyeb’s research is primarily veteran centric, his work has evolved into the exploration of systemic failures and advancing social networks to connect and advance nursing issues while facilitating nursing discourse centered around the theory of social contracts.

Dr. Quanna Batiste-Brown, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is a highly accomplished healthcare professional currently serving as Chief Nursing Officer, Ambulatory Care at UCLA Health, overseeing nursing care at over 275 ambulatory clinics. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UCLA School of Nursing, lecturing on Organizational and System Leadership and Disseminating Scholarship in the DNP program. Dr. Batiste-Brown has received numerous accolades for her exceptional contributions to the field. These include the UCLA Health Director's Award and the UCLA Healthy Work Environment Award in Ambulatory Nursing. She has been recognized as a Fellow of the UCLA Health Center of Creative Leadership Academy, a Rising Executives Fellow by the Advisory Board, and a recipient of the Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Research Grant from the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses. Dr. Batiste-Brown combines her strong academic background with a passion for community outreach. She founded a Medical Assistant Program in partnership with UCLA Health and UCLA Extension to address healthcare gaps. She is currently involved in a task force with the American Nurse Association – California, focusing on combating racism in healthcare and addressing health disparities.

Dr. Lee Galuska, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is an accomplished nurse leader who has made significant contributions to healthcare organizations and the nursing profession through her leadership, research and academic roles. Most recently she served as the Executive Director of Nursing Practice, Education and Research for the UCLA Health Center for Nursing Excellence and an adjunct associate professor in the UCLA School of Nursing. Dr. Galuska led her team in the professional development of more than 4400 nurses, academic affiliations, the nursing research and EBP programs, Magnet recognition program, CNS practice and multiple clinical programs. Dr. Galuska's seminal contributions encompass pioneering research on meaning and joy in nursing practice, including the leader’s role in fostering it. She has integrated joy-centered content into local, national and international leadership development programs using an innovative bundled approach. Dissemination of this work through publications, presentations, consultations, and educational programs has enabled her to influence leaders across the globe to use a systems approach to cultivate environments that engage, retain, and enable nurses to experience joy as they practice to their full potential.

Dr. Melissa Reider-Demer, DNP, MSN, RN, CNP, is an advanced practice nurse in the UCLA Medical Center for Neurology.  In her role, she optimized clinical operations by creating an expedited process to provide better access to care for neurology patients. This published process has been replicated by institutes across the country to improve neurology patient access. She enhanced clinical outcomes by creating a transitional care model for emergency room visits reducing readmissions and length of stay (LOS). Her model has been adopted among academic centers nationwide to improve outcomes nationwide. She pioneered and executed an innovative system for patients to upload diagnostic images from their computers to the EPIC system to maintain patient confidentiality. Her dedication and executive leadership continues to facilitate the development and enhancement of telehealth by CMS during the COVID-19 pandemic. She further served as a clinical leader in the work to advance APRN billing for services under CMS during the pandemic.  Her publications have been referenced in Congress to ensure better access, outcomes, and lowered cost for the nation.