Eight Cognella Textbooks Honored with Nine 2024 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Awards

Eight Cognella titles named among the most valuable nursing texts of 2024 in a variety of nursing subcategories 

San Diego, CA – January 2, 2025 – Eight Cognella nursing textbooks were recently presented with nine 2024 Book of the Year Awards from the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) in the categories of Community/Home Health Care; Child Health; Nursing Research; Professional Issues; History and Public Policy; and Advanced Practice Nursing. Three titles won first-place awards, three titles won second-place awards, and two titles won third-place awards.

Established in 1969, AJN publishes an annual list of the most valuable nursing texts. The annual list has grown into a prestigious award program that enlists experts to serve as judges across 20 subcategories within the discipline.

“As the nursing profession continues to expand and evolve, the need for timely and effective textbooks to support nursing curriculum, nursing students, and professionals in practice is greater than ever before,” said Amanda Martin, Executive Publisher in Nursing and Health Sciences at Cognella. “A huge congratulations to the Cognella authors honored with 2024 AJN Book of the Year Awards; the discipline is that much better due to your compassion, expertise, and research.” 

First-Place Winners

Leadership in Public and Community Health by Anita Finkelman, MSN, RN was awarded first place in the Community/Home Health Care category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“Since the publication of The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health in 2010, leadership skills have gained greater significance in nursing practice. This concise book outlines the knowledge and skills novice and experienced nurses need to be effective leaders in the public, community, and home health settings, and discusses how they can use these skills to address issues such as population health; social determinants of health; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. It summarizes information and recommendations on leadership from highly regarded organizations like the World Health Organization, the National Academy of Medicine, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Helpful appendices are included, and online student learning activities are also available.”

NICU Nursing Stories: A Day in the Life of a NICU Nurse by Valerie Wright, DNP, RN, CNE, CHSE, RYT was awarded first place in the Child Health category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“NICU Nursing Stories is a heartfelt collection of 70 real-life stories that provide a glimpse into the world of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nursing. Contributing NICU nurses describe the wide-ranging experiences and challenges they face caring for premature infants and their families. The author also shares her own story of loss. Readers will appreciate the honesty, compassion, and perseverance reflected in each story. The book includes thought-provoking reflection questions, case studies, and a reflective journaling section, making it especially useful in academic settings, but it’s a compelling read for any nurse.”

Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement for Professional Nursing Practice: A Competency Based Approach edited by Jayne Jennings Dunlap and Julee Briscoe Waldrop was awarded first place in two categories: Nursing Research and Professional Issues.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

Nursing Research Category:

“This first-edition contribution to the nursing research literature offers a fresh, engaging, and accessible approach to scientific inquiry that will engage and inspire the next generation of nursing scholars. Many of us may recall sitting in our undergraduate nursing research course wondering how the material would contribute to our success as a nurse. This text, which is mapped to the AACN Essentials, addresses that question. It situates evidence-based practice and research strategies squarely within the clinical practice of nursing; the learner is guided to appreciate scholarly and scientific inquiry as inextricable from the practice of nursing. In addition to clearly presented evidence-based practice and research fundamentals, the authors include lessons from nursing history, clinical reflections, and even ‘Wellness in Action’ boxes promoting self-care.”

Professional Issues Category:

“This book will help nurse educators teach undergraduate students about evidence-based practice and quality improvement approaches. Nurses on practice committees who seek answers to clinical- and systems-level questions will also find value in the information within. The authors deliver easy-to-read, engaging content throughout the text. Students will welcome the plain-language explanations and the activities to enhance understanding of often difficult concepts. Educators will appreciate the text’s sound theoretical foundation and its resources to support the shift to a competency-based model for curriculum design as called for by the AACN Essentials. The chapters on critically appraising quantitative and qualitative evidence are particularly helpful for student and novice nurses.” 

Second-Place Winners

Interprofessional Collaboration and Teams in Public and Community Health by Anita Finkelman, MSN, RN was awarded second place in the Community/Home Health Care category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“In this text, Finkelman describes how nurses and interprofessional colleagues can work together with patients and in teams to provide effective care, specifically within community, public, and home health settings. Essential knowledge and skills are addressed, and authoritative guidance on communication, collaboration, and coordination in health care is summarized. I see this book as being complementary to the leadership book by Finkelman that I selected for first place, because leadership and collaborative teamwork are complementary approaches to effective community nursing.”

Mexican American Health: Historical, Social, and Cultural Perspectives by Antonio L. Estrada was awarded second place in the History and Public Policy category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“This comprehensive guide explores the historical, geopolitical, and social contexts of Mexican American health; social and cultural determinants of health among this population; and health inequities and actions to take to address and eliminate them. Chapters begin with learning objectives and end with a chapter summary, questions, suggested readings, and references. Charts and graphs are plentiful and understandable, illustrating important aspects of each chapter.”

Growing into Professional Nursing: An Approach to Confident Practice by Luanne Linnard-Palmer was awarded second place in the Professional Issues category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“This book provides a wealth of information that reflects current priorities in health care and nursing. It is appropriate for a wide audience, including nursing students and those entering practice or continuing their education. Much of the content is boxed or bulleted, making it easy to read in short doses. Topics important to contemporary nursing practice, such as social determinants of health and health care disparities, thinking frameworks, interdisciplinary collaboration, inclusion, and cultural considerations are skillfully interwoven with pearls and tips to build professional confidence. The information on educational pathways, licensure, and benefits of professional organizations and specialty certification will be useful to those looking to begin and sustain their career. The appendices provide realistic case exemplars.” 

Third-Place Winners

Publishing the DNP Project: An Evidence-Based Approach by Diane B. Monsivais, Franchesca E. Nunez, and Leslie K. Robbins was awarded third place in the Advanced Practice Nursing category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“This evidence-based book guides DNP-prepared nurses through the publication process, from basic principles of academic writing to co-authorship, journal selection and avoidance of predatory journals, and peer review. The format is concise and reader friendly, avoiding the look and feel of a textbook.”

Health Policy on the Front Line by Aislynn Moyer and Gretchen K. D. McCullough was awarded third place in the History and Public Policy category.

The AJN judging panel shared the following comments about the text:

“This book starts out by acknowledging that nurses and nursing students find health care policy ‘boring, intimidating, and irrelevant.’ To change that paradigm, the authors aimed to make policy personal. With chapters like ‘The Role of Policy in Front-Line Health Care,’ I believe they have achieved their goal. Their writing is logical and engaging; policy is explained using plain language. Clear and practical examples increase understanding.”

Read about all the textbooks that received AJN Book of the Year Awards: https://cognella.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/AJN0125.BOTY_Print.7th.pdf

Learn more about Cognella’s award-winning titles: https://cognella.com/award-winning-titles/

About Cognella®

Cognella® is redefining academic publishing by creating teacher-driven, student-centric higher education course materials in print and digital formats under three imprints: Cognella® Academic Publishing, Cognella® Custom, and Cognella® Active Learning. Cognella also publishes engaging nonfiction titles featuring modern perspectives as Cognella® Press. Learn more at www.cognella.com. 

About the American Journal of Nursing 

The American Journal of Nursing is the oldest and most honored broad-based nursing journal in the world. Peer-reviewed and evidence-based, it is considered the profession’s premier journal.  

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