Our Mission
2016 AANA Foundation Board of Trustees
Representing the art and science of nurse anesthesia and producing quality research to promote and protect the practice, the AANA Foundation is a driving force in advancing and validating the profession. As a pillar of nurse anesthesia for more than 35 years, the Foundation, in concert with the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), has helped ensure and advance anesthesia quality, access to care and patient safety.
When nurse anesthetist Agatha Hodgins founded the National Association of Nurse Anesthetists in 1931, which then became the AANA in 1939, she envisioned a need to make anesthesia care ever safer and of the highest quality. Today, 85 years later, the AANA Foundation remains true to Hodgins’ vision by supporting breakthrough Health Services Research studies that demonstrate how anesthesia care by Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) is safe, reliable, and the most cost effective anesthesia care in the United States. In addition to supporting research that improves quality and safety in anesthesia for patients.
The mission of the AANA Foundation is to advance the science of anesthesia through education and research. As the philanthropic arm of the AANA, the Foundation raises funds and invests in projects that directly support the nurse anesthesia profession. Fulfilling this mission demonstrates that CRNAs take great pride in the profession and remain an authoritative voice for and key influencer of academia, clinical practice, and the overall healthcare system.
“From the very outset of my training as a nurse anesthetist, I fell in love with the science of our profession. The generation and sharing of new knowledge has always excited me. So for me, the mission of the Foundation continues to resonate deeply. The Foundation has always promoted research, scholarship, and the advancement of clinical nurse anesthesia practice. Those things together strengthen the credentials of nurse anesthesia practice and promote the long term health of our profession. Being a nurse anesthetist means that every day in your job you have the opportunity to touch someone’s life at a time when they are the most vulnerable. There is no greater privilege in human experience.”
We have a history of making a difference
1981 - The AANA Education and Research Foundation (AANA Foundation) was created.
1982 - The first AANA Foundation research grant was awarded in the amount of $500.
1988 - The Friends for Life endowment program began.
1989 - The first Foundation Poster Session was held at the Annual Meeting with two posters and the Foundation Fellowship Program was started.
1990 - The AANA Education and Research Foundation Building Campaign Fund initiated efforts to raise $600,000 to purchase and equip the Learning Center in the AANA Park Ridge office.
1991 – First Spinal and Epidural course taught in the Learning Center sponsored by the AANA Foundation.
1993 - The Student Scholarship Program was introduced.
1995 - The AANA Education and Research Foundation’s name was changed to the AANA Foundation.
1997 - The Foundation began to sponsor a Mentoring Program pairing CRNA doctoral students with CRNAs holding doctoral degrees.
1998 - The Foundation awarded the first Research Scholar Grant.
1999 - The Foundation’s Friends for Life donor wall in the Park Ridge executive office was unveiled.
2000 - The Foundation’s Researcher of the Year and Outstanding Student Researcher Awards were first presented.
2002 - The Foundation’s State Advocate program began.
2006 - The Rita L. LeBlanc Philanthropist of the Year, Advocate of the Year, and Competence in Aging Awards were first presented.
2006 – The Gertrude Fife Society was inaugurated to honor individuals, businesses and state associations who have made significant cumulative cash contributions to the Foundation.
2006 – Dr. Lorraine Jordan became the first Executive Director of the AANA Foundation.
2010 – The Researcher of the Year Award was named in memory of John F. Garde, CRNA.
2011 – The AANA Foundation celebrated its 30th Anniversary.
2015 – The Student Advocate program was created.
2015 – The first $1 million grant was received from the NBCRNA.
2016 – The AANA Foundation responds to the need for evidence and embarks on a $1 million campaign to fund Health Services Research.
“I have supported the AANA Foundation for years. Watching the Foundation support students and the goals and objectives that I too identify with compels me to provide support.”