Fellowship recognizes leadership within the American Heart Association relative to cardiovascular nursing and cardiovascular health.  Fellows are an identifiable, knowledgeable group of cardiovascular nurse leaders with specialized expertise who may be called upon to develop scientific and position papers and to address issues beyond the scope of the council. Members who permanently reside outside the United States and Canada may be nominated for International Fellowship

Eligibility
To be eligible for fellowship, nominees must be active Premium Professional or Premium Professional Plus members of the AHA and affiliated with the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing at the time of nomination. Active member is described as a member whose dues are current.

Candidates must be nominated by an active Premium Professional or Premium Professional Plus member affiliated with the council and one other person who may not be a member of the council. Both sponsors should be familiar with the candidate’s work and willing to write a strong recommendation letter that clearly articulates the candidate’s contributions to the field and involvement in the AHA. View the most recent active AHA/ASA Fellows by name or council in the online Membership Directory.  To access the AHA online membership directory:

1. Sign in with your my.americanheart.org username and password.
2. Select Member Services.
3. Under Membership Directory Search, select Advanced Search.
4. Select Council.
5. Under Member Type, select International Fellow or Fellows.

Criteria
The criteria for Fellowship in the council are established by the Leadership Committee. Candidates should meet all of the criteria defined by the council. Please review the CVN Fellowship Nomination Form carefully for detailed explanations of the criteria and nomination process:

• Be Premium Professional or Premium Professional Plus Members of the American Heart Association affiliated with the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing.
• Demonstrate meritorious contributions to cardiovascular nursing through practice, research and/or education recognized on a national level.
• Have significant and current American Heart Association volunteer experience.
• Be nominated by an active Fellow of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing. 

The criteria for election to International Fellowship are equivalent to those described for Fellows. Volunteer service can be demonstrated through activities in similar organizations/associations in their respective country/state, or through other avenues of community involvement as long as these activities are well documented and perceived as equivalent to those in the United States.

Election
Fellows are elected by the active Fellows of the council via a mail ballot. Newly elected Fellows are presented to the membership at the Annual Council Dinner, which is held each year during the AHA Scientific Sessions.

Nomination Deadline
Nominations must be postmarked June 15. Nominations received after this date will be considered late and will be held until the next review cycle, which will take place the following year. Nominations must be submitted electronically. The completed nomination form and supporting documents should be submitted to:

E-mail: Professional.membership@heart.org

Annual Membership Dues
Fellows are required to maintain membership in the AHA at the Premium Professional or Premium Professional Plus level to remain an active Fellow in good standing. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the suspension of active Fellowship status.

Membership Benefits and Criteria

Questions?  Contact Jo Ann Perry at (214) 706-1293 or Professional.Membership@Heart.org.