[2] She was the first nurse to serve as head of the American Public Health Association (APHA) in 1960.

[1] During the Depression she helped ensure that the Temporarily Relief Act included nursing care as a "necessity of life".

[4][5] The committee suggested federal funding of educational programs including college-level nursing schools.

[5] The committee also addressed health disparities between white and black Americans and made suggestions for reducing these inequalities.

[5] Sheahan received the 1949 Lasker Award and the 1969 Sedgwick Memorial Medal from APHA.