AANA Foundation John F. Garde Researcher of the Year Award Presented to Jane McCarthy

Rosemont, Ill. (AANA)–The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) Foundation presented Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) Jane McCarthy, PhD, CRNA, FAAN, CAPT/USPHS (Ret.), with the John F. Garde Researcher of the Year Award during the AANA 2022 Annual Congress, August 12-16, in Chicago.

This award, which is named for former AANA Executive Director John Garde, is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the practice of nurse anesthesia through clinical research. Nominees must be CRNAs who currently are or have been active in anesthesia research and can be nominated by any AANA member.

“I would like to thank the AANA Foundation for this prestigious recognition of the John Garde Researcher of the Year Award. It is such an honor to be recognized in John Garde’s name as he was such a mentor for me in so many ways,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy earned a doctorate in physiology from the Uniformed Services University in 1985 followed by a post-doctorate National Research Council Fellowship at the Navy Medical Research Institute where she did original research in high-frequency ventilation and pulmonary pathophysiology. She joined the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as a regulatory scientist for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewing respiratory and anesthesia medical device applications for FDA approval. To better meet the anesthesia healthcare needs of the Uniformed Services, she developed the congressionally mandated nurse anesthesia program for the Uniformed Services University (1993-2000), one of the first master’s level nurse anesthesia programs, mentoring students in their non-clinical and clinical research. She helped develop the AANA Research in Action program, providing a method for students to have their research peer-reviewed. More recently, she has been mentoring students in evidence-based practice to apply published research results into clinical anesthesia practice.

In 1994, McCarthy was one of the first nurse anesthetists to be recognized as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She has been a member of the AANA Board of Directors and the past president and member of the Board of Directors of the District of Columbia Association of Nurse Anesthetists (DCANA). She directed the DCANA Annual Anesthesia Safety Conference for 25 years for over 200 CRNAs and students each year from around the country.

“Dr. McCarthy is a tireless advocate for professionalism in nurse anesthesia and excellence in patient care,” said John Nagelhout, PhD, CRNA, FAAN, in his nomination. “She is ethical in all of her responsibilities and an excellent role model for our nurse anesthesia colleagues and students. Dr. McCarthy approaches her duties with thoughtfulness, and humor and applies innovative approaches to the many aspects of her academic, clinical, and leadership roles.”

She currently is a professor at the University of North Florida, where she does primarily online education in Healthcare Policy and Evidence-Based Practice for doctoral nursing students.