Celebrating Dr. Jennifer Sonney's Appointment as Permanent Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
We are delighted to share the exciting news that, effective February 1, Dr. Jennifer Sonney, PhD, ARNP, PPCNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, (she/her) has been appointed to the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of Washington School of Nursing.
Dr. Sonney’s remarkable career as a scientist and clinician is characterized by a devotion to excellence, innovation, and service. While she has most recently served our school as the Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, her leadership has already left a profound impact on our community as prior Graduate Program Director, a decade as Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track Lead, and as Associate Professor with Tenure at the University of Washington’s Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing. In each of her roles, she has fostered excellence in nursing education and student experience.
Dr. Sonney is the Joanne Montgomery Endowed Professor and a fellow in both the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing. The Journal of Pediatric Health Care recognized her award-winning pediatric nurse practitioner workforce study as “Article of the Year” and led to her induction into the International Academy of Nursing Editors Hall of Fame. She is also the immediate past president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). Both a recipient and nominee of several distinguished awards and honors, Dr. Sonney was awarded the President’s Choice Article in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care and the President’s Award from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and nominated for the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research (FNINR) President’s Award and the National Academy of Medicine workshop on Supporting Children with Disabilities.
Dr. Sonney’s leadership also extends into the realm of health policy, as evidenced by her service on executive boards and her advocacy efforts at national and international levels. She has provided impactful testimony before regulatory bodies such as the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), congressional leaders, and the White House Office of Management and Budget. She led the launch of a national mental health education initiative to improve pediatric access to mental health care. This initiative included a collection of educational offerings to prepare learners for national Pediatric Mental Health Specialist certification, increasing the number of available specialists – an effort that drew 3,000 participants within 8 months of its inception. These are a few examples of how Dr. Sonney actively leads in shaping healthcare policy and improving outcomes for children and families across our nation.
At the heart of Dr. Sonney’s work lies a passion for innovation and improving pediatric healthcare through interdisciplinary collaboration. Her groundbreaking efforts in the emerging field of family informatics and her approaches to chronic condition management are transforming the way we deliver care to children and families. Dr. Sonney continues to push the bounds of what we know and what we have yet to discover in pediatric healthcare. Her exceptional contributions to nursing education, scholarship, and the field as a whole make Dr. Sonney not only the logical, but truly the ideal choice for our next Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
As we embark on this exciting new chapter with Dr. Sonney at the helm of Academic Affairs, we are confident that this spirit of collaboration and possibility will press us onward – toward excellence, community, connection, and growth.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sonney on this well-deserved appointment and in welcoming her officially to this vital role.