Cormac O'Sullivan, PhD, MSN, CRNA, who directs the Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist program at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, received the Program Director of the Year award from the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) at its annual conference in Chicago earlier this month. The award, which was established in 1991, is presented annually to a CRNA who has made a significant contribution to the education of student nurse anesthetists.

 Cormac O'Sullivan, PhD, MSN, CRNA

O'Sullivan, who earned his bachelor's in nursing and his PhD in Health Services and Policy from the University of Iowa, was just the 5th CRNA hired by the Department of Anesthesia in 1996. At the time, he says, "I just wanted to be a really good CRNA." But when he started giving lectures for SRNAs, his father-in-law -- a professor of physiology -- prodded him to start working on his PhD. "One thing led to another," O'Sullivan says. "I had some great mentors, a very supportive wife, a lot of luck, and I fell in love with teaching."

He became program director for the College of Nursing's SRNA program in 2009 and led it to become only the second program in the country to earn accreditation for its Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Since then, more than 100 people have earned their DNP from Iowa, and the program has produced nearly 200 SRNAs, many of whom started their CRNA careers at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.