RU Nursing Professor Named Fellow by American Heart Association

Radford University Assistant Professor of Nursing Eunyoung Lee has been elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association (AHA) in recognition of her scientific and professional accomplishments, volunteer leadership and service.

Lee will be recognized by the AHA, a preeminent international organization of cardiovascular and stroke professionals, at the Cardiovascular/Stroke Nursing Council banquet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, during the AHA Scientific Sessions in Dallas, Nov. 16-20.

As an AHA Fellow, Lee joins a select group of physicians, scientists, nurses and other healthcare professionals who have demonstrated a major and productive interest in cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

"We are very proud of Dr. Lee," said Dean of the Waldron College of Health and Human Services Ken Cox. "Her designation as a Fellow of the American Heart Association reflects her professional stature and an extraordinary record of valuable service."

Lee’s involvement with the AHA began 11 years ago when she was a Ph.D. student at University of California San Francisco (UCSF). She made several abstract presentations and won recognition in 2008 as the AHA's Martha Hill New Investigator Award. Her contributions to the organization have included service on various committees and on the writing team for a paper on transitional care for congestive heart failure patients. Lee’s research in cardiology has been focused on the use of acoustic cardiography for early detection of acute myocardial ischemia and the use of ankle-brachial index to predict coronary artery disease.

"I see communities and I see people and look to see how I can improve care," said Lee, who earned her undergraduate degree in Korea, a master's of nursing from University of Washington and her Ph.D. from UCSF.

"Being able to help people and contribute to the community makes me live. I wish to be a good clinician and teacher. What would be a good clinician and teacher? I believe that a good clinician and teacher brings a servant’s attitude toward people that improves health and has the perseverance to pursue excellence," she said. "I am glad to have the opportunity to work with the AHA and the Radford community as a teacher, researcher and clinician."

Lee, who continues to see patients at a clinic and four long-term care facilities in Bedford,Va., said nursing is caring for people. She describes it as helping her patients cross a bridge and a way to empower them to manage their own care until they can stand up by themselves.

"I still see and study individual cases through teaching, research and practice. However, I see the future of nursing and its contribution to health care beyond individual care and as a way to improve systems with evidence-based research that leads to better outcomes," she said.

Scientific Sessions is an international cardiovascular meeting for basic, translational, clinical and population science in the United States, with more than 18,000 cardiovascular experts from more than 105 countries. Programming is designed to improve patient care by communicating the most timely and significant advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease from many different perspectives. Sessions includes five days of education through more than 5,000 presentations, with 1,000 invited faculty and 4,000 abstract presentations on cardiovascular disease.