Bradley, Eccles named American Academy of Nursing Fellows
July 9, 2026
Associate Professor Cynthia Bradley, PhD, RN, CNE, CHSE, ANEF, and Jennifer Eccles, PhD, RN, FAADN, Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence executive director, were named to the class of 2026 American Academy of Nursing Fellows.
The achievement is considered one of the highest honors in the nursing profession. The Academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice and academia.
Bradley, McKnight Presidential Fellow and School of Nursing Foundation Research Professor, serves as director of simulation. She advances clinical education in nursing through simulation and immersive virtual reality (IVR), utilizing objective performance metrics to verify clinical competence and expand learning capacity. She led the multi-institutional integration of an IVR model pairing curricular implementation, faculty training, and artificial intelligence-informed analytics for competency evaluation.
As founding executive director of the Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence, Eccles led consolidation of previously disconnected statewide resources into a single infrastructure supporting shared workforce planning and policy alignment across 26 colleges, 32 universities, 127 nursing programs, nine health systems, and 13 state agencies. This structure has driven state appropriations, grant funding, and regulatory action, improving Minnesota’s capacity to address nursing shortages and advance health equity. As principal investigator of the Pre-Licensure Nursing Apprenticeship Model, Eccles led development of 46 full-time, benefit-eligible Minnesota nursing student apprenticeship positions, reducing financial barriers and strengthening readiness for practice.
“Through evidence-based innovation, leadership, and scholarship, they have improved outcomes, shaped policy and practice, strengthened nursing education and care delivery, and advanced scalable solutions that promote healthy lives for all people. Their accomplishments demonstrate the depth and reach that define Fellowship in the Academy,” said Debra J. Barksdale, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, ANEF, FADLN, FAAN, American Academy of Nursing president, of the Class of 2026 Fellows.
Four alumni to be inducted
Four School of Nursing alumni were also named Fellows.
Tera Gross, DNP '13, RN, NEA-BC, CENP, FACHE, serves as chief nursing officer for Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Adrienne Hartgerink, DNP '11, CRNA, FAANA, serves as a clinical assistant professor and director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the Old Dominion University.
Breanna Hetland, PhD '15, RN, CCRN, serves as an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing and founder/CEO of the Family Room.
Jennie Peterson, PhD, MS '99, APRN-CNS, CNE, FAHA, serves as an associate professor and Clinical Nurse Specialist and Nursing Education Certificate track director at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
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