Drs. Linda Comer and Carrie Hall Earn Inducting into Prestigious National Academies of Practice

In a ceremony held on April 1 at the National Academies of Practice Convention in Washington D.C., Florida Southern College professors Dr. Linda S. Comer Ph.D., RN, CNE and Dr. Carrie A. Hall Ph.D., APRN, were inducted into the NAP as Distinguished Fellows in their Nursing Academy

Drs. Comer and Hall are two of the 133 members of the Class of 2023 Fellows. Fellowship in the National Academies of Practice is an honor extended to those who have excelled in their profession and are dedicated to furthering interprofessional practice, scholarship and policy in support of interprofessional care.

Dr. Comer is the Dean of the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences and The Keith R. Berend Endowed Chair of Nursing at Florida Southern. Her research includes faculty teams, health professional education, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Dr. Comer is a member of the Florida Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, Florida Organization of Nurse Leaders and Sigma. An alumna of the Leadership for Academic Nursing Program by American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Dr. Comer has presented at numerous state and national conferences, and serves Lakeland on the Advisory Board for Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE) as well as on Polk Vision, a community partnership of organizations, businesses, government and individuals acting collectively to implement Polk County's community vision. She serves as a Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accreditation site team member, and peer-reviewer for the Journal of Professional Nursing, and for Sigma Theta Tau research grant proposals.

Dr. Hall currently serves as an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Florida Southern College. In addition to Dr. Hall’s teaching role, she provides leadership and oversight for student independent and collaborative research, scholarship and creative works across all disciplines of study. Dr. Hall graduated from Wright State University with her BSN in 1995 and her Master’s in 2005. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2015 from the University of Cincinnati.  Dr. Hall is a Family Nurse Practitioner and currently works for an international company that assists with in home administration of random control trials. She serves on the board for InnerAct Alliance, a non-profit interprofessional organization focused on reducing harmful behaviors in Polk County youth. Dr. Hall is active in her Sigma Theta Tau chapter and currently is the Chair of the Scholarship Committee. She is committed to nursing development, research and collaboration and believes these are essential to quality patient care.

Located in Lexington, Ky., and founded in 1981, the National Academies of Practice advances interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice and public policy. The goals of the organization are to educate and inform members and others, facilitate collaborative scholarship and research opportunities, recruit, engage, retain and mentor their network of members, and advocate the value of interprofessional practice and improve healthcare and policy for all.

The academies within the National Academies of Practice include Allopathic and Osteopathic Medicine, Athletic Training, Audiology, Dentistry, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Podiatric Medicine, Psychology, Respiratory Care, Social Work, Speech-Language Pathology and Veterinary Medicine.