Yale School of Nursing (YSN) Dean and Linda Koch Lorimer Professor of Nursing Azita Emami, PhD, MSN, BSN, RNT, RN, FAAN was inducted into the Connecticut Immigrant Heritage Hall of Fame (IHHF) on November 14 with the other three members of the 2024 cohort.
The organization aims to honor “exceptional individuals whose contributions have enriched Connecticut’s education, health, civic, and cultural landscape … these remarkable achievers exemplify the spirit of immigrant success and resilience.”
Dean Azita Emami was born in Iran and moved to Sweden at a young age. Dr. Emami previously served as executive dean of the University of Washington School of Nursing; dean of the College of Nursing at Seattle University; and head of the Divisions of Nursing and Elder Care at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
Dean Emami’s research has resulted in more than 90 peer-reviewed publications, and she has led a national and global effort to identify and address issues of racism in nursing and health care. She is an advocate for equity of access to health care for all, and was a leader of the Nursing Now initiative, a global campaign with the World Health Organization that promoted education opportunities for nurses worldwide. At the University of Washington School of Nursing she established the first Center for antiracism in Nursing in the US.
Dean Emami serves on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees and is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; an elected member of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering; a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing; a trustee of Yale New Haven Hospital; an elected member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences; and a member of the board of the National Clinician Scholars Program. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Nursing.
2024 Inductees
The November 14 gala featured keynote speaker Chris George, former executive director of Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Service (IRIS) in New Haven.
The other members of the 2024 class of IHHF inductees are:
- Prof. Andre Blaszczynski; Educator, business and economics expert, activist in Poland’s Solidarity democracy movement, and founder of the Polish-American Foundation of Connecticut.
- Mr. James Michel; CEO of Access Health CT, U.S. Army Reserve veteran, and leader in the Haitian-American immigrant community.
- Esaul Rodriguez & Family; Founders of the thriving Puerto Vallarta Restaurants, philanthropists, and volunteer fundraisers for charity.
WATCH: Interviews with Dean Emami’s Family and Colleagues
Watch a video package of Dean Emami’s materials, including interviews with family and colleagues. Visit the YSN YouTube Channel for more video content.
Video is courtesy of the National Immigrant Heritage Center. All rights reserved.