Congratulations to Associate Professor Benjamin J. Miller, PhD, APRN, FNP-C, ACNPC, ENP-C, FAANP who was appointed to the Dr. Lester and Mary Ann Sauvage Endowed Professorship by Seattle University Provost Shane Martin with the concurrence of SU President Eduardo Peñalver.
“Dr. Miller is most deserving of this professorship with his broad focus on preparation of nurse practitioners in primary, chronic, and acute care. He is a leader in the College of Nursing who actively seeks ways to improve programs, governance, and optimize utilization of simulation and interprofessional learning experiences.” - Dean Kristen Swanson
Dr. Miller is an innovative teacher who founded the successful Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) program which accepts both Family and Adult-Gerontology primary care nurse practitioner students who seek to ‘skill-up’, expand their knowledge of the management of acutely ill individuals, and obtain certification as an AG-ACNP. The program also accepts APNI (Advanced Practice Nursing Immersion) and BSN prepared nurses who seek their Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. The AG-ACNP specialty coursework is offered in an executive format which has made it very accessible for working students. This rigorous program has led to a first-time certification rate of 98% and an overall-pass rate of 100%.
In his role at SU, Dr. Miller has been a trusted mentor and advisor to many graduate students. In 2020, he provided advising for over 107 students in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and AG-ACNP programs. He has also developed a comprehensive Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) program for NP students and helped to develop post-graduate fellowship programs.
As a highly accomplished clinician, Dr. Miller precepts NP students in his Montana practice where he works in a rural critical care access hospital that provides care to a Native American population. Moreover, his strong connections to the community have enabled students from the Nurse-Midwifery and FNP programs to have access to rural placements.
Dr. Miller is certified as an FNP, AG-ACNP, and an Emergency NP. He currently serves as President of the Puget Sound Nurse Practitioner Association and the SU chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. He has written nine book chapters for Banasik’s well-regarded textbook entitled, Pathophysiology (7th Edition). As principal investigator or co-investigator, he has received funding in amounts ranging from $500 to $450,000 for 14 different projects with the majority focused on training and clinical improvements. In June 2020, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP).
The Dr. Lester and Mary Ann Sauvage Endowed Professorship was originally endowed as the Hope Heart Institute Endowed Professorship in Cardiovascular Nursing. On November 18, 2015, the Professorship was renamed in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Sauvage, and the agreement was amended and broadened to focus on wellness, disease prevention, and health promotion to help individuals maintain heart health and reduce their risk for cardiac disease.