Nurse practitioners are vital to New Mexico's health care system. They work to meet the needs of diverse communities in various specialties across the lifespan. However, some go beyond seeing patients and their families. They work to solve complex health care needs and are dedicated to advancing health care. That’s why the American Association of Nurse Practitioners has honored three nurse practitioners from The University of New Mexico College of Nursing for their incredible work and inducted them as fellows.
“Less than 1% of members of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners are inducted as fellows,” says Gina Rowe, PhD, DNP, MPH, FNP-BC, PHCNS-BC, BC-ADM, FNAP, assistant dean of professional graduate programs for the UNM College of Nursing. “This year there were 93 applications and only 33 nurse practitioners were accepted, making New Mexico inductees 9% of the prestigious group. We couldn’t be prouder.”
Those selected have made extraordinary contributions to the health of the nation while furthering the nurse practitioner role. They have dedicated themselves to promoting and advancing the visibility of the profession through their outstanding achievements in health policy, education, innovative practice models, and research endeavors.
Christine Cogil, DNP, MPS, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Cogil is an associate professor and program coordinator for the family nurse practitioner program at the UNM College of Nursing. Her practice as a nurse and family nurse practitioner has been dedicated to rural, underserved and border populations. Cogil recently received a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant in the area of Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) to educate developing nurses and proactively address the national nursing shortage. Her doctoral research and clinical practice have focused on integrating oral health into primary care. In addition, she has incorporated oral health assessment and management into the advanced practice nursing curriculum at UNM. She has been involved in two HRSA grants to train students and providers in assessing and managing oral health issues that can be managed in primary care. Along with an interprofessional team of dentists, medical doctors, physician assistants, nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, she developed the Primary Care Oral Assessment Tool (PCOAT). She also has a dual appointment with the UNM Department of Dental Medicine.
Kristopher Jackson, PhD, FAANP
Jackson is a 2022 graduate of the UNM College of Nursing PhD program. He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California San Francisco Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. Jackson’s research focuses on the provision of LGBTQIA+ health care, the use of novel data collection methods to gain insight into hidden and/or stigmatized populations of people at risk for HIV, and how to increase HIV prevention uptake and harm reduction practices among populations with multiple stigmatized –oftentimes intersecting— social identities. Jackson’s current program of research is supported by grant funding from the UCSF-Bay Area Center for AIDS Research, the California HIV Research Policy Center, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. He has presented his research at numerous national and international meetings.
Jackson currently maintains a part-time clinical practice at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
Michelle Peacock, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP
Peacock, class of 2012, and PhD student, is a family nurse practitioner and a clinical nurse advisor in the Office of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense Health Affairs in Washington, D.C., focusing on federal health policy. She served tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army Nurse Corps Officer and was honored at the White House as a Champion of Change for Women Veterans. Previously, at the New Mexico VA Health Care System, she helped spearhead the implementation of full practice authority for nurse practitioners. While president of the New Mexico Nurse Practitioner Council, Peacock helped to advance legislation that contributed to hospital parity for nurse practitioners and their inclusion in the Medical Malpractice Act for malpractice equity. She also worked to monitor issues that affect clinicians' practice environments. Peacock works with legislators and local community members to educate them regarding veteran health initiatives, health policies regarding nurse practitioners, and homelessness.
Nurse practitioners provide accessible, patient center care for their communities. They also dedicate themselves to advancing health care through practice, education, advocacy, research and leadership. The UNM College of Nursing is proud to see the hard work they do honored nationally.
If you are interested in advancing your nursing career, explore the programs at the UNM College of Nursing here.