KINGSTON, R.I. — July 16, 2025 — Two University of Rhode Island College of Nursing professors have been selected to receive the highest recognition of accomplishment in the nursing profession, induction as Fellows in the American Academy of Nursing.

Associate Professor Amy D’Agata and Assistant Professor Erica Liebermann are just the latest URI faculty members to achieve the most prestigious recognition in nursing, as 88 percent of tenured professors in the college are now AAN Fellows. Invitation to fellowship requires nurses to demonstrate sustained exceptional contributions throughout their careers, and recognizes a nursing leader’s accomplishments in the profession.

Liebermann is an adult/women’s health nurse practitioner and clinician scientist with extensive international experience. Her clinical work and health services research are driven by a desire to advance the health of women and girls throughout the world, through promoting equitable access to high quality health care. Her current research focuses on advancing progress toward cervical cancer elimination in the U.S. through innovative strategies to increase HPV vaccination rates and improve cervical cancer screening and follow-up.

“I am honored to have been accepted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing this year, in recognition of my leadership in global cervical cancer prevention and my passion for advancing equity and innovation in clinical practice, research and policy, nationally and internationally,” Liebermann said. “I want to thank my sponsors, Dr. Melissa Sutherland and Dr. Holly Fontenot. I am excited to join the Academy’s powerful community of nurse leaders and change makers.”

D’Agata has extensive clinical experience in neonatal intensive care. Her research has evolved to examining the lifetime effects of preterm birth. She serves as the principal investigator for the RHODE Study, the longest continuously running preterm birth study in the United States. Funded by the National Institutes of Health through an R01 grant, the study explores the impact of preterm birth on adult cardiometabolic, immune, and endocrine health, as well as epigenetic aging at the age of 35.

“Being selected as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing is a profound honor, recognizing over two decades of my work,” D’Agata said. “My research, deeply grounded in clinical practice, is transforming knowledge and care for preterm-born individuals by demonstrating that preterm birth is a lifelong health determinant, not just an early-life event, requiring attention and action across the entire lifespan.”