Suzanne Bakken To Be Honored As Living Legend
By The American Academy of Nursing

Suzanne Bakken, PhD, focuses her research on the use of information and communication technologies and informatics processes to advance health equity. Her career of impactful work was honored by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), which recently named her a Living Legend.

Bakken, Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing, and Affiliate of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, is an internationally renowned expert in the field of biomedical informatics, with important contributions in the areas of terminology and standards, quality improvement, informatics approaches to reducing health disparities, and advanced visualization.

“I’m humbled to be recognized by my nursing peers for my contributions to informatics and health equity,” Bakken said. “The unparalleled support from my Deans in the School of Nursing and Chairs in the Department of Biomedical Informatics over my 24 years at Columbia have made it possible for me to implement my vision. I have been

Suzanne Bakken, PhD, has been honored as a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing.

blessed with incredible mentors, great colleagues, and talented trainees who have made my success possible.”

The AAN highlighted some notable aspects of Bakken’s career, including her role in drafting influential National Academies’ reports through her work as a member of the Committee on Data Standards for Patient Safety and Committee on Return of Individual-Specific Results Generated in Research Laboratories. They also highlighted her ‘holistic view of data’s potential to revolutionize clinical practice has led her to consult nationally and internationally in the field of informatics, author over 300 publications, receive continuous funding for over 25 years, and receive numerous awards and honors.’

Bakken has received two of the highest honors in the field of informatics. She received the 2019 IMIA François Grémy Award of Excellence, and she received the 2023 Morris F. Collen Award of Excellence during the 2023 AMIA Symposium.

Bakken will join Drs. Rita Chow, Julie Fairman, Faye Gary, and Mathy Mezey as the recipients of the Living Legend honor — the highest designation given by the Academy — Academy’s annual Health Policy Conference, held Oct. 31-Nov. 2 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC.

“Each year, the Academy has the privilege of selecting outstanding individuals who have made lasting change to improve health and well-being as Living Legends,” said Academy President Linda D. Scott, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN. “I am delighted to celebrate these legendary nurses who have transformed the profession’s impact through pioneering evidence with remarkable outcomes. The commitment and passion towards advancing health equity demonstrated throughout their careers is truly outstanding. From publications to presentations, they have demonstrated that sharing nursing knowledge can improve the health of individuals around the globe.”