The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is proud to announce that its Chief Executive Officer, Howard Catton, has been named to the 2026 Class of Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), one of the highest honours in the nursing profession, in recognition of outstanding contributions to global nursing, health policy and workforce advocacy. ICN also extends its warmest congratulations to ICN colleague Gill Adynski, whose inclusion in the 2026 Class further reflects the organization’s impact.
The AAN Fellowship is conferred on those whose extraordinary contributions have improved health locally and globally — nurse leaders who have shaped policy, advanced science and practice, and moved the profession forward.
This recognition speaks to the growing influence and impact of ICN and Mr Catton’s wide-reaching work to ensure that nursing is recognized, supported and empowered as a driving force for health, economic development, social progress and global health security.
ICN CEO Howard Catton said:
"I am deeply honoured by this recognition from the American Academy of Nursing. This Fellowship reflects the collective strength of ICN, our National Nursing Associations, and the nurse leaders and 30 million nurses whose expertise, courage and commitment save and improve lives every day.
'Together, we have worked to support and empower nurses, to elevate the voice of nursing around the world, and to champion investment in nursing as the key to meeting our world’s greatest health challenges. ICN’s recent IND report,
Empowered Nurses Save Lives, is the latest example of our efforts to demonstrate the full, multidimensional value of nursing, with a new model of nursing powers that shows the world nursing in its full colours: as a powerful force for health, equity, economic growth, global health security and peace.
'This recognition only reinforces the importance of the global solidarity of our great profession and of continuing our work to ensure that nursing is fully recognized, empowered, and enabled as one of the world's most powerful drivers of health, peace and prosperity."
In recent years, ICN has led global evidence-based advocacy on health worker protection and workforce investment, bringing international attention to the role of nursing in the
COVID-19 pandemic and the toll on nurses, including workforce mortality, mental health challenges, moral injury and workforce attrition This work promoting structural supports and wellbeing has continued with influential reports including
IND2025: Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies and with continued advocacy including recent statements on safeguarding nurses during health emergencies and
crises such as Ebola.
ICN has also been at the forefront of continued advocacy on peace, conflict and the protection of health care. Through ICN’s impactful
#NursesforPeace initiative and Humanitarian Fund, as well as
policy advocacy and work with partners through the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, ICN has continually worked to support and protect health workers, ensure access to care during conflict, and highlight the essential role nurses play in defending health, dignity and human rights and protecting global health security.
ICN has also continued to challenge outdated perceptions of the profession and ensure the full range and impact of nursing power is recognized. This includes the revision of the
Definitions of Nurse and Nursing, a major professional milestone that reflects modern nursing's full scope, contribution and impact as a basis for policymakers, employers and international organizations. The award-winning ICN and BBC Storyworks
Caring with Courage series, recognized by the UN Special Rapporteur for Health, has brought further visibility to the realities and impact of nursing worldwide.
Alongside ICN’s work to support NNAs and global health policy, its role in nursing leadership development and education has also continued to strengthen, with
ICN Leadership Centre programmes supporting nurse leaders and National Nursing Associations around the world, including in situations of
conflict and crisis.
The AAN recognition renews ICN's commitment to the continued work ahead to advance, support and empower nursing as a driving force for stronger health systems and healthier societies everywhere.
ICN’s Gill Adynski highlighted the power of leadership, mentorship, and national and global nursing networks, commenting:
"I am deeply honoured and humbled to be inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing at this early stage in my career, and I hope this recognition encourages early- and mid-career nurses to step into leadership without feeling they need to wait. My own journey has been shaped by the mentorship, opportunities, and global connections I found through professional nursing organizations, including national nursing associations as well as ICN."
