By Pareasa Rahimi
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners has recognized University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing faculty members and an alumna for their contributions to education, policy, clinical practice and research. Two faculty members and one alumna were inducted as Fellows of AANP, and another faculty member received recognition for her outstanding contributions as a nurse practitioner.
Assistant Professor and Interim Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Education – MSN Kelley Borella, DNP, CRNP, WHNP‐BC (BSN 2002, MSN 2005, DNP 2014), Assistant Professor Jeremy Jordan, PhD, CRNP, CCRN, CPNP‐AC, CNE (MSN 2014, PhD 2021), and alumna Duellyn Pandis, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CTM®, AFTM RCPS (GLASG) (BSN 1993), were inducted as Fellows of AANP. Associate Professor D’Ann Somerall, DNP, MAEd, CRNP, FNP-BC, FAANP (BSN 1995, MSN 1999, DNP 2011), received the AANP State Award for Outstanding Contributions.
Borella has been a faculty member of the School since 2012. She maintains a faculty practice at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, providing comprehensive women’s health care to underserved women in the Birmingham community. She is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, where she plays a key role in shaping nation policy, education and practice standards for women’s health nurse practitioners. In 2023, she received the Inspiration in Practice Award from the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health.
Jordan has been with the School since 2015 and serves as Co-Coordinator for the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track. He maintains a faculty practice in the pediatric intensive care unit at Children’s of Alabama, providing critical care to children from Alabama and across the Southeast. He is active in professional organizations, including serving as a Member-at-Large on the Executive Board of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and in 2023, he was named one of 50 NAPNAP Emerging Leaders. Through his work with NAPNAP, Jordan advances pediatric health policy, supports pediatric nurse practitioners across the country and serves as an expert in pediatric care.
Pandis is Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Practice at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, overseeing the College of Nursing’s clinics and where she leads the first nurse-run autonomous medical clinic at the Port of Tampa. Pandis also is co-owner and President of Passport Health of Tampa Bay, which specializes in travel medicine. In 2017, she opened a primary care practice to complement her existing travel medicine practice. In 2014, Pandis received a Blazer Fast 40 award, recognizing UAB alumni-owned or alumni-managed businesses. She is actively involved in professional organizations including the International Society of Travel Medicine and serves on the board of Christian Medical Services.
Somerall has been a faculty member at the School since 2006 and serves as Co-Coordinator for the Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty Track and Co-Director of the School’s Health Policy Fellowship. From 2010 to 2017, she worked at the School’s nurse-managed clinic at The Foundry Ministries. She is a founding member of the National Association of Family Nurse Practitioners and serves on the executive board of the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama, where she previously held the role of President. In 2020, she was named an AANP Fellow and recently received the inaugural Meritorious Service Award from the Alabama State Nurses Association.
Fellows and awardees from each state were honored at the 2025 AANP National Conference in June.