Dr. Fildes, NAC Recommendation Champion, Inducted to the American Academy of Nursing
Dr. Fildes is a leader who demonstrates passion and sustained commitment to improving health outcomes of persons in the US and Philippines who suffer from tobacco use and addiction in all its forms. Her unique approach has included mobilizing nurses to provide education and therapeutic interventions to improve population health in direct support of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control established to combat the global tobacco epidemic.
Her progressive track record spanning almost three decades of addressing tobacco use prevention and cessation as a clinical nurse specialist, educator, researcher, and international collaborator, reflects successful ventures to seed ideas to healthcare, public health, and policy stakeholders, secure significant funding, and bring cutting edge programs to fruition through partnerships and empowerment of nurses.
She has implemented programs that have had an impact at the individual, community, and country level. Using lessons learned from establishing the Nevada Tobacco Users Helpline, she parleyed her policy experience into more rapid implementation of similar programs in the Philippines. With faculty and student engagement to augment public health interventions, she applied solutions cross culturally to make significant impact in clinical services and educational curricula in two countries. She also extended her influence fighting addictions by facilitating Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment hospital policy development and training from 2012 to present.
Dr. Fildes’ success is not surprising to those familiar with her critical thinking abilities. She initiates generative discourse on complex topics, and encourages colleagues to bring forward ideas about what is not known rather than repeat the obvious. I had the pleasure of her service on the ANA board of directors where her input was invaluable. She exemplifies the scholarly thinking and production expected of Academy fellows. Her continued clinical, scholarly, and policy efforts will accelerate achieving a tobacco free world.
She is married to Dean Fildes.