Dr. Carol Gullo Mest Named Fellow of American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Dr. Carol Gullo Mest has another major accomplishment to add to her long and distinguished nursing career.
The professor and chair of the graduate nursing programs has been named a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The organization is dedicated to the global advancement of NPs. Fellows work toward furthering the NP profession, developing leaders of the future, and enhancing AANP's mission.
“I’m really a humble person at heart,” said Gullo Mest, “but I’m at the age where you look back on what you’ve done and I thought my contributions are something that they’re looking for. I want to be able to continue to contribute even after I retire. By being a fellow, I’ll be able to do that.”
Gullo Mest has been a board certified NP for more than 35 years, serving in a wide variety of primary care roles, including adult health/internal medicine, occupational health, migrant health, student health, and public health. Throughout her 25 years at DeSales, she has redesigned and developed all of the MSN Program offerings, as well as developed the DNP Program.
She also secured more than $2.5 million in state and federal grants to support student tuition, faculty lines, and the purchase of simulation equipment.
Still, becoming an AANP fellow is no easy feat. Applicants must have made an impact on the NP profession by writing and publishing articles, conducting research, securing grants, developing clinical practice models, and influencing health policy.
In addition, they must be invited by two current fellows who agree to sponsor the application process. Gullo Mest calls the appointment the biggest honor she could receive.
“Now that I’ve been through the process, I know it’s not easy to get recognized that way. Looking at my career, it’s really been the icing on the cake. It tells me that what I did along the way made a difference, and that’s what nursing is all about—making a difference.”
