UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Sheldon D. Fields, associate dean for equity and inclusion and research professor in the Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, has been named to The Nurses Magazine’s inaugural Men of Honor class.
Fields was one of 44 honorees celebrated at a gala on June 13 at The DeSoto in Savannah, Georgia, where he also delivered a keynote address.
The Men of Honor — Most Impactful Men in Nursing recognition celebrates male nurse leaders, educators and advocates whose work has shaped patient care, education, research, health policy and advocacy in the profession.
Fields’ selection reflects more than three decades of leadership across nursing education, public health research and health policy.
“I am grateful to be included in the inaugural Men of Honor class,” Fields said. “This recognition reflects my continued commitment to advancing health equity, strengthening diversity in nursing and supporting the next generation of nurse leaders.”
Fields serves as the 14th president of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), representing more than 308,000 Black nurses through over 100 chapters in 33 states. During his presidency, NBNA launched its first capital campaign, expanded its national office to include a historical museum, held its first Virtual Black Maternal Health Conference and made inaugural presentations, which focused on mental health and maternal health, at the 54th Congressional Black Caucus Foundational Annual Legislative Conference.
In 2024, Fields founded the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, a fellowship program developing nurse leaders in education, research, practice, administration and policy. The academy inducted 91 new fellows in December 2025.
At Penn State, Fields is the Nese College of Nursing’s inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion. He established the college’s annual Gunter-Gooding Lecture Series, which showcases scholarship in diversity, equity and inclusion and honors Laurie Martin Gunter and Marion Gooding, two Black women who led Penn State’s Department of Nursing.
“We are proud to see Sheldon’s impact recognized among the most influential men in nursing,” said Laurie Badzek, dean of the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing. “He has built programs, mentored emerging leaders, advanced national policy conversations and strengthened organizations working to address health inequities and diversify nursing leadership. This recognition is a fitting acknowledgment of his work.”
Before joining Penn State, Fields served as dean at the New York Institute of Technology and at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Fields is board-certified family nurse practitioner with advanced certification as an HIV/AIDS certified registered nurse. He is a nationally recognized HIV/AIDS prevention research scientist who has served as principal investigator and co-investigator on multiple NIH-funded prevention trials. In 2009, he became the first male registered nurse to be named a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow.
Fields holds fellowships in the National Academies of Practice, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing and the American Academy of Nursing.