Three new FAANs Arellano, Brady, and Mithani inducted as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing
Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston added three faculty members to its growing list of Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAANs) following the induction ceremony Oct. 10 during the AAN’s Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. Daniel Arellano, Veronica Brady, and Sara Mithani are among the 2026 inductees.
The academy recognizes the most accomplished nursing leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia.
“Being accepted as a FAAN is among the greatest honors in nursing and one that at least 50 of Cizik School of Nursing’s alumni and faculty members have achieved,” said Dean Diane Santa Maria, DrPH, ACRN, PHNA-BC, FAAN. “Congratulations to Drs. Arellano, Brady, and Mithani for continuing this tradition of excellence in nursing science, education, and practice.”
Daniel Arellano
PhD, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CCAPP, AOCNP, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P, FCCM, FAANP, FAAN
Assistant Professor, Department of Undergraduate Studies
As his credentials attest, Arellano wears many hats in healthcare. He is certified as an acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP), family nurse practitioner (FNP), advanced oncology certified nurse practitioner, critical care advanced practice provider, and paramedic, among other things.
Arellano began teaching as an instructor at Cizik School of Nursing in 2012 and became an assistant professor after earning his PhD at the school in 2020. He teaches foundational courses such as pathophysiology part time and works full time across the street at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a critical care nurse practitioner.
Occasionally, Arellano is called up as a member of a Disaster Medical Assistant Team through the National Disaster Medical System. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked two weeks straight administering vaccines at an upstate New York community center.
In addition to the PhD, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) on the ACNP track from the University of Rochester School of Nursing in New York, a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from The University of Texas at Dallas, and a post-master’s certificate on the FNP track from Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Nursing. He is also a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Veronica Brady
PhD, RN, FNP-BC, ACRN BC-ADM, CDCES
Assistant Professor, Department of Research
The past year has been eventful for Brady, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Cizik School of Nursing in addition to her induction as a FAAN. She also received the Texas Nurse Practitioners Visionary Award, a bronze-level award from the Good Samaritan Foundation in 2025, and is slated to receive a silver award this year.
Brady teaches students at all levels—from undergraduates in the Honors Research Program to emerging nurse scientists in the PhD program. She maintains a practice at MD Anderson as an FNP with board certification in diabetes management.
Her research focuses on the intersection of diabetes, cancer, and HIV. She has received federal funding to study patients living with both HIV and diabetes from several sources, including through the Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research.
Brady holds a PhD from Cizik School of Nursing, an MSN from the University of Detroit-Mercy, and a BSN from Wayne State University in Detroit. She is also a fellow and past president of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.
Sara Mithani
PhD, RN
Assistant Professor, Department of Research
Mithani has made a significant impact in her relatively short career with her name on more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. She joined Cizik School of Nursing in 2025 after completing a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health and serving as an assistant professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
She is currently the early career principal investigator on an Emerging Topics Research Award from the U.S. Department of Defense, Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program. The grant is funding a four-year study of the neurological effects on veterans and their caregivers of low-level occupational blast exposures experienced during military service.
She has previously received research funding from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Education, and a Heilbrunn Nurse Scholars Grant. Beyond her U.S.-based research, Mithani is active in global mental health initiatives and research across East Africa and Asia.
Mithani earned a PhD in nursing science from the University of Illinois Chicago with an emphasis on genomics and sleep disorders and a BSN from Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. She also completed an NIH-funded training program focused on global mental health disparities research.
