The National Academies of Practice is pleased to announce the election of Laurie Anne Ferguson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, from New Orleans, LA as a Distinguished Scholar & Fellow of NAP. Dr. Ferguson was inducted at a gala membership banquet on April 18, 2015 in Alexandria, VA.

Founded in 1981, NAP is an interdisciplinary, non-profit organization, with membership representing fourteen health care professions willing to serve as distinguished advisors to health care policy makers in Congress and elsewhere. The 14 academies of practice within the NAP include:  Audiology, Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Social Work, Speech & Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine. 

Membership in the NAP is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care. The central purpose of NAP is to advise public policy makers on health care issues using NAP's unique perspective -- that of expert practitioners and scholars joined in interdisciplinary dialogue.

New members were inducted following a forum on “Engaging the Patient and Family in Patient-Centered Care:  An Interprofessional Approach.” For more information on nominating potential members to the NAP, call the NAP office at 859-514-9184 or visit www.NAPractice.org.