 She was named by President Reagan to serve on his Commission on the HIV Epidemic in 1987 and, in 2006, was nominated by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.In 2016, she was inducted into the Tennessee Health Care Hall of Fame and was named a Living Legend by the American Academy of Nursing for her contributions to the nursing profession.In 2017, she was elected to the "Modern Healthcare" Hall of Fame.