The Academy of Emergency Nursing inducted the Class of 2026: Camilia Brandt, Christian Burchill, Michele Lee, Christien van der Linden, Jennifer Schmitz, Margaret Letitia, Steve Weinman and Rebecca Salisbury Lash.
The Academy of Emergency Nursing inducted a new class of Fellows as it recognized eight nurses for their contributions to emergency nursing in the areas of research, education, clinical practice, leadership and advocacy.
“We know awards and honors such as this are rarely the reason why emergency nurses around the world look for a solution, a practice improvement or a way to make something better for our patients or colleagues,” said AEN Chair Andi Foley. “We welcome tonight’s inductees into a family of more than 200 fellows who proudly represent our specialty and the qualities which make ED nurses special.”
The first inductee was Camilia Brandt, MS, RN, CEN, of Texas, who was recognized for her leadership on pediatric readiness in the emergency department. She helped launch the We Have a Little Emergency initiative, which provides kits that help providers obtain lifesaving medical information during emergencies. After receiving the award, Brandt credited AEN with inspiring her to push forward throughout her career.
“I feel like I have been watching the people in this room for at least 20 years,” she said. “I’m so thankful to be joining them.”
The next inductee, Pennsylvania’s Christian Burchill, PhD, MSN, RN, CEN, has become a leading researcher on workplace violence prevention in the ED. When Burchill initially began his research, though, he wanted to investigate how teamwork in EDs affected patient and nurse outcomes.
“A violent event, where I was attacked one night in triage, changed my research trajectory,” he said.
Burchill went on to conduct research that led to further development of the Personal Workplace Safety Instrument for Emergency Nurses, which is currently the only instrument available that quantifies emergency nurses’ beliefs about safety from workplace violence.
Another pioneering researcher, California’s Rebecca Salisbury Lash, PhD, MPP, RN, CEN, CNL, NPD-BC, was inducted into AEN for her work focusing specifically on the recognition and management of oncologic emergencies in the ED. Salisbury Lash was the first to link cancer registry data with statewide utilization data, which revealed patients with cancer use the ED at significantly higher rates than previously reported.
Salisbury Lash said one of the most exciting parts of becoming an AEN fellow is the opportunity to collaborate and learn from other fellows.
“It will continue to inspire me to reflect on how we can continuously improve care for the emergency population as well as the emergency nurses we represent,” she said.
Some of the night’s loudest applause came as Michele Lee, DNP, RN, CEN, NPD-BC, was inducted and recognized for her contributions to nurse retention.
She designed and led the ED RN Transition to Practice Pathway, which reduced ED turnover from 46 percent to 5.1 percent. The program has since been implemented at 12 hospitals and five freestanding EDs in multiple states. More than 700 new graduate nurses have completed the pathway. Lee credited her family for helping make it possible for her to stay in this field.
“My wonderful husband, Larry, who helped me pivot after a patient fell on me,” she said. “I had to leave the bedside and had to have my fourth back surgery. He told me, ‘We’ll get it done. It’s OK.’”
Class of 2026 Fellow Margaret Letitia, BSN, RN, CEN, EMT-P, has had the longest career to date among Monday’s inductees. The Connecticut nurse was recognized as a pioneer in strengthening the partnership between emergency nurses and public safety systems. Letitia was wearing a bracelet given to her by former ENA President Diane Gurney, who died earlier this year, and said her spirit was “with us here today.” She also thanked her daughter, who was in attendance with her.
“I became a single mother when she was 4,” Letitia said. “She allowed me to do my ENA journey. She was with me even when I was away, and she sacrificed a lot. This is who I have to thank the most.”
AEN also inducted Jennifer Schmitz, MSN, MBA, RN, EMT-P, CEN, CPEN, FNP-C, NE-BC, of Maine. Through her role as ENA chief clinical officer and as the founder of her own leadership coaching business, Authentically Yours, Schmitz has helped clinicians and executives grow into leadership roles and foster work environments that can sustain long careers in nursing.
“It’s surreal to be included in this group,” she said. “I look forward to continuing to make an impact.”
The only inductee from outside the United States was Christien van der Linden, PhD, MSc, MANP, RN, a nurse scientist, methodologist and epidemiologist from the Netherlands. Van der Linden’s research on gaps in care continuity for patients who presented after suicide attempts, which she noted now serves as an ongoing foundation for a national suicide prevention program.
“So much of my career has been devoted to asking questions that arise directly from emergency nursing practice and trying to produce evidence that can make that practice safer and better,” van der Linden said. “I’m looking forward to helping emergency nurses turn the questions they encounter every day into evidence that can improve care.”
The final inductee of the evening was Steve Weinman, MSc, BSN, RN, EMT, CEN, NHDP-BC, TCRN, of New Jersey. Vanhoy said while Weinman’s clinical expertise led to municipal and county protocols that strengthened how emergency nurses interact with public safety agencies, his impact has been felt well beyond the borders of New Jersey. Weinman has published 18 scholarly articles, 10 textbook chapters and created “The Trauma Geek,” an online platform that connects clinicians from all over the world with trauma scholars.
Family members, ENA board members and AEN fellows celebrated the 2026 inductees, which included Margaret Letitia (seated).
Weinman credited the start of his ENA journey to a conversation in nursing school with his nurse manager, who handed him a copy of the Journal of Emergency Nursing when Weinman asked what he needed to do in order to go straight from school to the ED.
“ENA immediately became my second family,” he said. “And then, I go through the years, and I became immersed in emergency medical services.”
Weinman, who donned his Class A uniform for the evening, pointed to one of the patches on his sleeve.
“The patch is representative of the oldest volunteer community-based rescue squad in the country: the Somerville Rescue Squad, founded in 1928,” he said. “That is almost 45 years before Johnny Gage made it on the screen in ‘Emergency!’”
He added that being inducted into AEN felt like joining the Hall of Fame.
Read more about all of the AEN inductees on the Hall of Honor website.