(June 26, 2025) — The American Academy of Nursing announced the selection of four Georgetown University School of Nursing educators and researchers for its class of 2025 Academy Fellows in recognition of their “substantial contributions to health and health care.” They will be inducted into the academy this fall.
The highly selective and prestigious society represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice and academia.
The Georgetown nursing faculty selected are:
Alrimawi is an associate professor whose primary area of research focuses on improving the quality of care provided to underserved families and children who are affected by chronic or complex health conditions, critical illnesses, and health inequities within the community.
Read more about Alrimawi
Kosko is an associate professor and the assistant dean for assessment, evaluation and outcomes, whose areas of scholarship include global health, HIV/AIDS, and interprofessional education.
Read more about Kosko
Paruchabutr is an assistant professor whose expertise focuses on advocacy, health policy, leadership, midwifery and women’s health, trauma-informed health care, and gender-related care.
Read more about Paruchabutr
Wilkinson is a professor with expertise in graduate education, solving complex leadership challenges, leading public health responses, and clinically managing infectious diseases.
Read more about Wilkinson“I am delighted to congratulate Drs. Alrimawi, Kosko, Paruchabutr and Wilkinson, in addition to our alumni fellows, and look forward to officially welcoming them to the academy at the induction ceremony at the Health Policy Conference in October,” said Roberta Waite, EdD, RN, PMHCNS, ANEF, FADLN, FAAN, dean of the Georgetown University School of Nursing. “With four brilliant scholars and educators from our school being inducted, Georgetown will be well-represented in the nation’s premier nursing organization for health policy.”
The 2025 class of fellows includes leaders from 42 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 12 countries around the world. Academy President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN, emphasized the significance of becoming a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).
“Induction into the academy represents the highest honor in nursing,” she said. “Earning the FAAN credential is a prestigious recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the power of nursing to transform health and enact positive outcomes.”
Georgetown School of Nursing has the most faculty being inducted as fellows in 2025 from a school in the DMV area.
Alrimawi, Kosko, Paruchabutr and Wilkinson will join Waite and four other full-time faculty who are fellows of the academy: Stephan Davis, DNP, MHSA, FACHE, ANEF, FAAN; Karan Kverno, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN; Carol Taylor, PhD, RN, FAAN; and Edilma Yearwood, PhD, PMHCNS, FAAN.
The school’s alumni are also well-represented in the academy, including three who were selected for the 2025 class of fellows: Barbara Bennett Jacobs (N’67, P’03), PhD, MPH, RN, HEC-C; Tiffany Kelly (N’00), PhD, MBA, RN, NI-BC, FNAP; Patricia Lawrence (N‘75), PhD, MSN; and Molly McCarthy (N’94), MBA, BSN, NI-BC.
To achieve fellowship designation, candidates must complete a comprehensive application that addresses the individual’s significant and enduring contributions to nursing, health and/or healthcare, and the ways in which their work may further influence health policy. The application process requires endorsements from two current fellows who serve as sponsors. The application then undergoes a rigorous evaluation process by the fellow selection committee.
Alrimawi’s career exemplifies the power of nursing to drive transformative changes across borders. A distinguished nurse researcher, educator and advocate, she has spent more than a decade addressing child safety, public health disparities, and nursing education in the United States and globally. Her leadership in advancing child and family health in underserved regions of the Middle East aligns closely with the mission of the Georgetown University School of Nursing to educate ethical, compassionate leaders who champion health equity and serve the common good.
Alrimawi has led over 40 collaborative research initiatives focused on childhood injury prevention, abuse reporting, and environmental health in conflict-affected and resource-limited communities. Her work has informed health policy and shaped culturally responsive interventions that improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. In 2024, she was selected as a Fulbright Specialist by Egypt’s Ministry of Health, where she partnered to train faculty across 12 health institutes and strengthen national healthcare education systems. With more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and presentations at over 30 international conferences, Alrimawi continues to influence global nursing practice. She also mentors master’s and PhD students around the world, preparing the next generation of nurse leaders to advance research, policy and systemic change.
Kosko’s greatest contributions to the nursing profession have been through advocacy, service leadership centered on social justice, and increasing health care access to marginalized communities. While a fellow with the U.S. Agency for International Development, Kosko was selected to be on the first team to launch the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. This foundational work resulted in the most successful global health program in history that has saved 26 million lives in 55 countries. As co-founder and director of an HIV program in Maryland, Kosko developed clinical care models and secured $1.2 million in NIH grants to provide clinical services for over 3,000 patients. The innovative clinical care models for outpatient HIV services she developed led to pioneering work to train health care providers in Africa, eastern Europe and the Caribbean, and to lead a global team in the development of an HIV research capacity model for Africa. Kosko was chosen to present congressional testimony in support of bills to protect health care workers with HIV and to serve on the White House National AIDS Policy Council, which established National HIV Testing Day. Her leadership impact is evidenced as co-founder of the American Council of Nurse Practitioner, which later merged to create the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the singular voice for all NPs with 120,000 members.
Paruchabutr is a national leader at the intersection of policy, advocacy and public education in women’s health. A triple board-certified clinician and U.S. Army combat veteran, Paruchabutr brings a unique perspective to addressing systemic barriers in sexual, reproductive and maternal health care. As the first Asian-American president of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) and assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing, she leads strategic efforts to expand access and advance the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in closing critical public health gaps.
Paruchabutr has led high-impact policy initiatives, including NPWH’s amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and Montana Supreme Court, affirming APRN clinical independence in the delivery of reproductive health care. These actions contributed to decisions that preserved access to essential reproductive services, particularly in underserved communities. She has also provided national testimony before the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in support of over-the-counter contraceptive access, which received FDA approval in 2023, and before the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on environmental health equity.
Through scholarly publications, national presentations and podcast appearances, Paruchabutr amplifies APRN leadership and advances their role in achieving health equity. Her work continues to shape critical health care conversations across clinical, academic and policy arenas.
Wilkinson’s upbringing in rural West Virginia fuels her enduring commitment to health equity. With over 24 years of experience providing HIV care to underserved populations, she has focused much of her work on Appalachia — a region shaped by structural inequities and longstanding barriers to health.
Wilkinson has led interdisciplinary, community-based responses to major public health challenges, including HIV and COVID-19. Sponsored by the CDC Foundation, she served as the only nurse on the West Virginia Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force — a role initially intended for an infectious disease physician. In this capacity, she developed vaccine equity strategies later adopted by other states and internationally. Her leadership led to a briefing with the prime minister of Peru and senior military officials on public health infrastructure and emergency response. During an HIV outbreak in West Virginia, she partnered with the CDC and the state to expand testing in jails and emergency departments and trained over 300 providers. Her work was recognized in a 2021 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. As an educator, she designed one of the first competency-based FNP programs in the nation and created an academic–community partnership in Clay County, West Virginia, to address public health crises through research and experiential learning.