Nursing Alumnae Lorrie Wong and Laura Reichhardt Inducted as American Academy of Nursing Fellows

Two recently inducted American Academy of Nursing Fellows hold key leadership roles in Hawaii and have committed their careers to advancing the profession of nursing. Both have made significant individual contributions on the state, national or international level. At the October 2023, American Academy of Nursing conference in Washington D.C., Dr. Lorrie Wong, associate dean for academic affairs and Laura Reichhardt, director for the Hawaii State Center for Nursing were inducted as Fellows.

Dr. Lorrie Wong, PhD, RN, CHSE-A, FAAN
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & HMSA Distinguished Professor

Lorrie Wong has been with UH Manoa Nursing since 1989 and is currently the associate dean for academic affairs. She was previously the inaugural director of the UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center which is a pillar program of the UH Manoa nursing school.

Wong has transformed the educational paradigm by disrupting traditional healthcare discipline silos and building an exemplar interprofessional education (IPE) program and simulation center. Her international and regional projects have changed practice by building capacity for teamwork, collaboration, and novel ways of thinking among health profession faculty, students, and clinicians in Hawaii, the U.S., and the Pacific Region. Wong has disseminated best practice via national and international presentations, consultation, and numerous publications. She has helped shape policy within the University of Hawaii System, Hawaii State Center for Nursing and Society for Simulation in Healthcare workgroups. Currently, more than 150 simulation sessions are held annually with more than 1,500 students representing more than 10 professions.

Wong led the development of the UH Translational Health Science Simulation Center (THSSC) and in collaboration with the school’s leadership team secured more than 8 million in funding for its creation. THSSC opened in 2012 and has served as a training center for nursing students, other UH health science disciplines and healthcare providers from the state’s leading agencies. THSSC has become the Pacific Region’s resource for dissemination of evidence-based knowledge, emerging teaching methodologies, and innovative training programs.

She holds the first endowed professorship for Interprofessional Education at the University of Hawaii. To expand impact at the state level, Wong created and led the Hawaii State Nursing Simulation Collaborative to support simulation education across 9 schools of nursing and the 3 major health systems. Under her leadership, the Hawaii Interprofessional Education (HIPE) workgroup was formed and provides IPE activities to more than 1,500 students (medical, nursing, psychology, dental, and other) and practicing providers annually. Lastly, to expand reach globally, she secured federal funds to develop PACSIM, a simulation collaborative supporting six countries across the Pacific Region. To enhance sustainability and empower less resourced healthcare educators, this program uses a train-the-trainer approach for simulation and IPE to address each nation’s unique workforce needs, health disparities and impacts from global warming.

As the UH THSSC Director, Endowed Professor of IPE, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Wong works to ensure that the future and current healthcare workforce is prepared to meet the needs of our global society and address unique challenges of those who live in the Pacific Region.

Laura Reichhardt, MS, APRN, AGPCNP-BC
Executive Director for the Hawaii State Center for Nursing

Laura Reichhardt has been with the Hawaii State Center for Nursing since 2014 and is currently the executive director. In her role she upholds state workforce mandates and ensure that the Center grows to fulfill its research, program, and policy mandates. She applies evidence-based nursing strategies so they may have a broader nurse driven impact in Hawaii and the across the nation. She is a graduate of UH Manoa with Master of Science nursing degree and is an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner.

Reichhardt is dedicated to improving the health of the community and the U.S. by addressing access to healthcare and reducing barriers to entering the healthcare profession by underrepresented people. She has a proven track-record for impacting advocacy and policy by navigating healthcare, academia, policy, and state government.

In 2017, she designed and implemented the Hawaii primary care preceptor tax credit program, the first nurse-driven initiative of its kind. The Governor enacted legislation allocating $1.5 million annually in tax credits to APRNs, physicians and pharmacists. In its first three years, the program recorded 308,167 precepted hours and issued $1,298,000 in tax credits. Hawai‘i has gained a 29% increase in preceptor engagement and 51 new preceptors. She also provides technical assistance to states who are interested in starting their own programs.

She holds office in the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers,  supports the Hawaii Action Coalition and the Hawaii Rural Health and Policy Center, and served as the Hawaii Liaison for AANP. One of her main initiatives is to drive sound health policy nationally.

FAANs at UH Manoa

Wong and Reichhardt join five UH Manoa nursing FAANs who have received this prestigious recognition, listed in alphabetical order.

• Mary G. Boland, DrPh, RN (Dean Emeritus)
• Katherine Finn Davis, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP, FAAN
• Holly B. Fontenot, PhD, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAAN
• Deborah Mattheus, PhD, APRN-Rx, CPNP, FAAN
• Alice M. Tse, PhD, APRN, FAAN