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Experts Interviewed on NPSchools.com
Alejandra Gutiérrez, assistant director of doctoral student affairs at UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, brings over a decade of experience in student affairs and educational programming to her work with DNP and PhD students.
Drawing from her academic journey at UC Santa Cruz (BA) and Claremont Graduate University (MA), Gutiérrez is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable academic environment. She collaborates closely with faculty to provide high-touch advising and guidance, supporting students as they navigate complex program requirements while excelling academically.
Beyond academic support, Gutiérrez helps create a nurturing, holistic environment that empowers students to emerge as compassionate, innovative leaders in nursing. As part of UC Irvine’s commitment to excellence, she plays a key role in cultivating the next generation of healthcare professionals who will continue the University of California’s legacy of academic achievement, diversity, and innovation.
AlexAnn Westlake is the executive director of Our Community Birth Center in Lane County, Oregon and a certified nurse-midwife. She has experience in several full-scope nurse-midwifery practice settings including Shenandoah Women’s Healthcare in Harrisonburg, Virginia and PeaceHealth Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in Springfield, Oregon.
Ms. Westlake earned degrees in registered nursing (BSN) and nursing-midwifery (MN) at Oregon Health Sciences University. She also holds a bachelor’s in Spanish language and literature from the University of Oregon.
Dr. Alycia Bischof is the central clinical site coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of nurse practitioners and works hard to help them develop their clinical skills and business acumen.
Dr. Bischof is passionate about cultivating relationships between preceptors and students to ensure they get the best possible clinical opportunities. She teaches documentation and coding skills to students and faculty alike. Her most recent publications include “Understanding the 2021 Evaluation and Management Coding Guidelines,” published in The Nurse Practitioner, and “Post COVID-19 Reimbursement Parity for Nurse Practitioners,” published in Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.
Dr. Amy (Davis) Lee is a clinical professor and the associate dean of graduate programs at the Capstone College of Nursing at the University of Alabama. She received her BSN from the Capstone College of Nursing and her MS as a women’s health nurse practitioner from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
From 2002 until 2018, Dr. Lee was at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, with a primary job assignment to support the education of the gynecology/obstetrics (GYN/OB) residents while holding a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. In 2013, she completed her DNP at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Lee returned to her home state of Alabama and her alma mater in 2018. Dr. Lee was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 2024.
Dr. Angela Wood currently serves as the clinical faculty and FNP program coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University School of Nursing. She earned both her MSN and DNP from Eastern Kentucky University.
Dr. Wood is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner. Her research and academic interests include childhood obesity. In 2019, Dr. Wood received the Blackboard World Catalyst Award for Teaching and Learning.
Dr. Ann Bagchi is a nurse practitioner and associate professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing. Her research is centered on exploring the stigma of living with HIV. She has successfully implemented a statewide People Living With Stigma Index and will create multidisciplinary teams to complete needs assessments relating to telehealth technologies among underserved populations across New Jersey.
Dr. Bagchi holds a master’s of science and PhD in sociology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a doctor of nursing practice in family practice nursing from Rutgers University.
Dr. Ann Lawrence O’Sullivan is the Dr. Hildegarde Reynolds Endowed Term Professor of Primary Care Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, where she has also served as the director of both the Family Nurse Practitioner Program and the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program.
A clinician-educator since 1987, Dr. O’Sullivan has worked for over a decade to develop policies that expand full practice authority for advanced practice registered nurses. She is recognized as a leading proponent of the movement and has written and lectured extensively on the need to remove scope of practice restrictions and increase professional collaborations between physicians and advanced practice registered nurses. In 2016, Dr. O’Sullivan served as chair of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing’s advanced practice registered nurses committee, which is monitoring full practice authority legislation introduced in the Pennsylvania House and Senate.
Dr. Anne Mason is the associate dean of academic affairs for graduate programs at Washington State University (WSU) College of Nursing, where she is also a DNP program director. A board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), she uses telehealth to treat adolescents in partial hospitalization for eating disorders.
Dr. Mason’s interests are focused on enhancing clinical education for nurse practitioners and NP workforce development. She is a major contributor to the Telehealth Toolkit for Nurse Practitioner Education at C-Tier. Notably, Dr. Mason is actively engaged in the development of academic-practice partnerships that will serve rural and underserved populations in Washington.
Dr. Annie Abraham is a clinical assistant professor at the Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing. She earned her MSN from the University of Texas at Arlington and her DNP from Texas Christian University.
Prior to her role at Baylor, she served as an associate clinical professor at Texas Woman’s University and as adjunct FNP clinical faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Abraham has been practicing as a family nurse practitioner for 15 years in the DFW area and is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Texas Nurse Practitioners, and North Texas Nurse Practitioners. In 2000, she received the “Nurse of the Year Award” from the Baylor Center for Pain Management.
Dr. Ateev Mehrotra is a professor of healthcare policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a hospitalist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He earned his MD from the University of California, San Francisco and his MS in epidemiology from Harvard University.
Much of Dr. Mehrotra’s research is focused on delivery innovations such as retail clinics and their impact on quality, costs, and access to healthcare.
Dr. Barbara Peterson is a clinical associate professor with the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, the specialty coordinator of the psychiatric-mental health doctor of nursing practice (PMHDNP) program, and the director of inclusivity, diversity, and equity for the School of Nursing. Her research focuses on mental health in children and adolescents, the effects of trauma and nightmares, and mental health of immigrant and refugee families.
In her 23-year career as a child and adolescent psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist, Dr. Peterson has practiced in multiple psychiatric care settings, mostly serving at-risk, highly vulnerable children and families. While serving as co-investigator on two Health Resources Administration (HRSA) Advance Nursing Education grants, she developed a curriculum for interprofessional education that focuses on underserved urban and rural populations.
Dr. Peterson continues to serve the profession of psychiatric mental health nursing through leadership roles in the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN), the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA), and the Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice.
Dr. Benjamin Smallheer joined the Duke University School of Nursing faculty in 2016. He served as the director of the adult-gerontology nurse practitioner (acute care) major within the MSN program, and is now the assistant dean of the master of science in nursing program. His scholarly work is focused on improving the educational experience of nursing students. He is internationally recognized for his use of simulation and alternative teaching strategies that create learning environments that allow students to transition from the role of a bedside nurse to one of an advanced practice provider.
Dr. Smallheer came to Duke from the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where he had been a faculty member since 2006 and an assistant professor since 2011. At Vanderbilt, he worked with both pre-licensure and AGNP-AC students. He was also involved in faculty mentoring in both clinical and academic environments, receiving recognition for his work in incorporating innovative teaching methods and using technology in the learning environment.
As a nurse practitioner, Dr. Smallheer has practiced in a variety of clinical settings, including the emergency department, high acuity medical-surgical intensive care, long-term acute care, and has been the lead responder on a nurse practitioner-based rapid response and code team. He currently practices as an acute care clinician in the critical care unit at both Duke Raleigh Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital, within the Critical Care Medicine teams.
Dr. Beth Ammerman is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Nursing (UMSN) in the health behavior and biological sciences department. She earned both her MSN and her DNP from Michigan State University. Her scholarship focuses on translating clinical research and addressing policy issues that pertain to the health and well-being of primary care patients.
Dr. Ammerman’s teaching role includes teaching graduate nursing students both in the classroom and in the clinical setting. She leads the role transition course as a classroom instructor, guiding RNs to APRN roles. In addition, she has the opportunity to evaluate graduate students in their precepted clinical sites and directly precept students in her family practice office.
Dr. Billie Vance is a clinical associate professor and the director of MSN/DNP Program at West Virginia University. She also participates in the faculty-practice plan as an advanced practice nurse and cares for patients with substance use disorder. Dr. Vance earned both her MSN and her PhD from West Virginia University.
Dr. Vance’s research interests include the care of veterans and patients with substance use disorder, and methods of improving education for nurse practitioner students.
She has co-authored research published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing, the Journal of Clinical Nursing, Nurse Educator, Nurse Forum, and Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice. Dr. Vance was awarded the WVU PhD Nursing Alumni Award for Leadership in 2021.
Dr. Bobby Bellflower is a professor and the director of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing. She is also a neonatal nurse practitioner and practices in the NICU at Regional One Health in Memphis, Tennessee.
Dr. Bellflower’s areas of interest include pain in the newborn and evidence-based practice and continuous quality improvement.
Currently, Dr. Bellflower is the chair of the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP), focusing on the support and education of NNPs. She is a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and has received the Daisy Award from her faculty colleagues. She is on the National Task Force Criteria for Evaluating Nurse Practitioner Programs and the Conference Planning Committee for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Dr. Bellflower has over 100 national, regional, and local presentations and numerous publications.
Dr. Brian Goodroad is a clinical professor at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. He earned his MSN from the University of California, San Francisco, and his DNP from Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Dr. Goodroad’s scholarship has been devoted to educating community healthcare providers about caring for individuals with HIV and advancing APRN practice through health policy. He has been a prominent figure in the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), advocating for nurses during the HIV epidemic. He currently serves as the Clinical Advisor to the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center (MATEC) since the late 1980s, where he currently serves as the clinical advisor.
Dr. Goodroad played a key role in forming the Nurse Practitioner Association of MN, contributing to establishing Minnesota Nurse Practitioners (MNNP) and championing full-practice authority legislation. He continues his impactful work in APRN health policy and serves on committees focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing associations.
Dr. Goodroad was interviewed for an update to this article in summer 2024.
Dr. Brian Widmar is an associate professor and director of the adult-gerontology acute care NP program, and assistant dean for academics, advanced nursing practice at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.
A certified acute care nurse practitioner with a clinical background in cardiothoracic critical care, his expertise is in the care management of patients with advanced heart failure, cardiothoracic transplantation, and mechanical circulatory support device therapy. He is a member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and is a Board Member-at-Large for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).
Dr. Widmar’s research interests include quality of life, patient and family-centered care, and self-care education in cardiothoracic transplant and ventricular assist device patient populations. Dr. Widmar earned his MSN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his PhD in nursing science from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Cammie Rausch is a nurse practitioner at the Rocky Mountain Regional VA in Denver, CO. She currently serves chronically ill veterans in their home through a program called Home Based Primary Care. She is also an instructor at the California State University Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.
Dr. Rausch received her BSN from Washington State University, and both her MSN and DNP from the University of South Alabama with a subspecialty in palliative care. She has 20 years of experience practicing in nursing, with 17 years of hospice and palliative care experience.
Dr. Candice Whealon is a passionate advocate for nursing excellence and healthcare innovation. As the DNP program co-director and associate professor at UC Irvine’s Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing, Dr. Whealon is shaping the future of nursing education and practice.
With a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh and a minor in nursing education, Dr. Whealon brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Her research focuses on critical areas that directly impact patient care: improving hospital outcomes, enhancing ER nurse well-being, and maximizing the potential of advanced practice providers. Before joining UC Irvine, Dr. Whealon served as the west division regional lead advanced practice provider for Envision Physician Services. There, she managed teams of physician assistants and nurse practitioners across three Southern California emergency departments.
Additionally, Dr. Whealon has served as president of the California Association for Nurse Practitioners, Orange County and was the founding president of the UC Irvine Alumni Association School of Nursing Chapter. These experiences reflect her commitment to advancing the nursing profession and fostering a strong sense of community among healthcare providers. Today, Dr. Whealon’s passion lies in nurturing the next generation of family NPs. Through hands-on clinical education, she’s equipping students with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in this vital healthcare role.
Dr. Carrie Watkins Jeffrey serves as the director of the DNP program and an associate professor at Weber State University’s Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing. She began her nursing career in 2013 after earning a BSN from Minnesota State University. She furthered her education with an MS in nursing education from Weber State University and completed a PhD in nursing education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Before transitioning into academia, Dr. Jeffrey gained diverse clinical experience, working as a cardiac/pulmonary, medical/surgical, and float RN at the Mayo Clinic in Mankato, Minnesota. Upon relocating to Utah, she served in labor & delivery at McKay-Dee Hospital and as a clinic OBGYN RN at Wasatch OBGYN.
Since joining Weber State University as a full-time faculty member in 2017, Dr. Jeffrey has taught across various nursing programs, including associate degree nursing (ADN), master of science in nursing (MSN), and DNP programs. Her research interests encompass curriculum design and implementation, leadership in nursing, clinical education, mental health of nurses, and women’s health issues. Beyond her academic roles, she chairs the Weber State University Curriculum Committee and actively participates in multiple committees within the School of Nursing. She is also a member of the National League for Nursing and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Catherine Kaufman is a clinical assistant professor of nursing and FNP track coordinator at the Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing in Gary, Indiana.
She was born and raised in Northwest Indiana. She received her BSN from IU Northwest and MSN-FNP from Purdue University. She is a member of CAPNI and AANP, and has served on APC Committees at various local hospitals. Over a 25-plus year nursing career, Professor Kaufman has worked in primary care/family practice settings, pediatrics, and emergency medicine sites in rural and urban Northwest Indiana.
Cathy Klein is a lawyer, educator, and nurse practitioner. She’s a graduate of the University of Denver College of Law, University of Colorado Master’s Nursing Program, and Florida International University School of Education.
Klein started one of the nation’s first advanced nurse practitioner programs that prepared RNs to practice as pediatric NPs, and she later taught RNs to practice as advanced adult nurse practitioners. Klein was also legal issue editor for a leading professional nursing journal for 25 years. As an attorney, Klein was named Mediator of the Year for Jefferson County in Colorado, and listed in The Wall Street Journal as a Businessman of the Year.
Dr. Cene’ Livingston has been a full-time faculty member at Oklahoma City University’s Kramer School of Nursing since 2012 and has served as a nurse educator since 2001. In 2022, she assumed the role of chair of advanced practice programs. She believes that nursing education is a catalyst for change for students and their patients.
Dr. Livingston has been a nurse for 25 years and a nurse practitioner for 15 years. She is dual certified as both a family nurse practitioner and a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, and teaches both tracks within the DNP program. She serves as the lead faculty member for the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner track. She is an active member of several nursing, advanced practice nursing, and civic organizations.
Dr. Cene’ Livingston is chair of advanced practice programs, professor, and lead PMHNP faculty at Oklahoma City University Kramer School of Nursing. She earned her BSN from the University of Central Oklahoma, her MSN from the University of Phoenix, and her DNP from Oklahoma City University. She also holds a post-master’s FNP certificate from Saint Louis University and a post-master’s PMHNP certificate from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Dr. Livingston is dual-certified as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) and teaches both tracks within the DNP program at Oklahoma City University. She is an active member of multiple nursing, advanced practice nursing, and civic organizations.
Constance Dahlin is a palliative care consultant, educator, and palliative nurse practitioner. She is a consultant to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) in community-based care and education, and co-director of the Palliative Care APRN Externship.
Dahlin is co-editor of the Oxford University Press Advanced Practice Palliative Nursing and edited the second and third editions of the National Consensus Project’s Clinical Practice Guidelines for Palliative Care. She authored the 2021 Palliative Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, Competencies for the Palliative and Hospice APRN, and the Competencies for the Palliative and Hospice RN, as well as the 2017 Hospice and Palliative APRN Professional Practice Guide.
Dahlin was one of 30 individuals named as a Visionary in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) for their 30th Anniversary in 2018. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a fellow of Hospice and Palliative Nursing.
Dr. Curry Bordelon III is an associate professor of nursing and interim assistant dean for graduate clinical education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He earned his MBA from the University of New Orleans, his MSN from Emory University, and his DNP from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Dr. Bordelon is dual-certified as a neonatal and pediatric acute care nurse practitioner and has extensive leadership experience as a nurse practitioner manager for three neonatal intensive care units. Dr. Bordelon is also the incoming vice president of the American Association of Men in Nursing (AAMN).
Dr. Cynthia Weston is the president of the Texas Nurse Practitioners Association, the associate dean for clinical and outreach affairs, and an associate professor at Texas A&M University College of Nursing. She is also a registered nurse, family nurse practitioner, and critical care clinical nurse specialist.
She obtained her DNP degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and her post-master’s family nurse practitioner degree from the Texas Tech Health Science Center University. Her research interests include increasing access to health care, health promotion, disease prevention and wellness, cancer prevention and screenings, and improving health outcomes for vulnerable populations.
Dr. Dawn Goldstein is an assistant professor and the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program director at Michigan State University College of Nursing. She holds a PhD and post-master’s certificate from the University of Arizona, an MSN and BSN from the University of Phoenix, and an ADN from Lansing Community College. Her professional interests include psychiatric mental health, co-occurring psychiatric substance use disorders, military health, veterans, and simulation in nursing education.
A dedicated researcher and presenter, Dr. Goldstein has explored topics like telehealth simulation, compassion fatigue among military nurses, and veterans’ mental health. She is also the co-director of the HRSA-funded Nurse, Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention (NEPQR) program, working to enhance nurse training and retention in primary care settings.
Dr. Deborah Hopla is a professor and director of the MSN and DNP family nurse practitioner tracks at Francis Marion University, with over 30 years of experience as a family nurse practitioner. She holds degrees from Georgia Baptist School of Nursing, West Georgia College, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the University of South Carolina, where she obtained her MS and DNP.
A dedicated leader, Dr. Hopla chairs the South Carolina Advisory Committee for Nursing Education and has served in prominent roles, including President of the South Carolina Nurses Foundation. Recognized for her excellence, she has received awards such as the AJN Excellence in Writing Award and the Outstanding Policy Award from NONPF. She is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing. Active in community outreach, she works at Hope Health, serves on several boards focused on vulnerable populations, and participates in medical mission trips.
Dr. Debra Bakerjian is a clinical professor at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. Her research is primarily focused on two areas: patient safety and quality improvement practices in long-term care; and interprofessional education and collaborative practice in primary care.
A key area of interest for her is the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants as members of an interprofessional team. Her doctoral study on the utilization of nurse practitioners in nursing homes (in comparison with physicians) received the 2006 Dissertation of the Year Award at UC San Francisco. Bakerjian is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the Gerontological Society of America.
Dr. Deena Kelly Costa is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing (UMSN), where she teaches primarily in the master’s in health systems, nursing leadership, and effectiveness science program. She received both her MS and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.
A trained health services researcher with clinical expertise in adult critical care nursing, Dr. Costa’s work care has been published in leading journals such as JAMA, Chest, and Critical Care Medicine. Her prior research, published in Chest, documented the benefits of having NPs in the critical care setting. Given her expertise and research experience, Dr. Costa advised Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office to advise on staffing and scope of practice regulations that were ultimately incorporated into Executive Order 2020-30 during the spring surge of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Elda Ramirez is a clinical instructor in the Acute and Continuing Care Department at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She holds a master’s of science in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and a bachelor’s of science in nursing from the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center.
In addition to teaching, Dr. Ramirez maintains a clinical practice through a contract with Emergency Consultants, Incorporated providing emergency services. She is one of the founders of the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.
Dr. Elena Geiger-Simpson is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC) and clinical assistant professor with the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She earned her DNP from the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Geiger-Simpson served as a clinical instructor in psychiatric-mental health for the BSN students at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
In her role at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Geiger-Simpson mentors, advises, and precepts DNP students. She also holds a certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices. Notably, she has presented on a wide variety of topics related to psychiatry and mental health at nursing symposiums and conferences. In 2021, she was nominated for a DAISY Exceptional Mentor Award.
Dr. Elizabeth Kuzma is a clinical associate professor and the director of APRN programs at the University of Michigan’s School of Nursing (UMSN) in the health behavior and clinical sciences department, where she is also a family nurse practitioner program lead. She earned her MSN from Michigan State University and her DNP from Wayne State University.
Dr. Kuzma sees public policy advocacy at all levels as the broadest form of patient advocacy for health promotion and disease prevention. She is a former American Association for Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Representative for Michigan and a former member of the AANP National Research Committee. She is currently serving as the vice chair of the AANP Nominations Council.
Eloise Theisen is an adult-gerontology nurse practitioner in Northern California, and she’s also the president-elect of the American Cannabis Nurses Association (ACNA), an organization dedicated to expanding the knowledge base of endo-cannabinoid therapeutics among nurses.
In her nursing practice, she’s seen close to 6,000 patients in the last six years. Her average patient is 76 years old and female, and many of them come to her for relief from pain, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
Dr. Erica May is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner in Middle Tennessee and an Instructor of Nursing in the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Dr. May is a graduate of Vanderbilt herself, having obtained both her MSN and DNP from the institution.
Certified as a Family, Acute Care, and Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Dr. May sees patients across the life span in a community emergency department, providing care to patients and their families.
Having seen the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, Dr. May is keenly interested in alternatives to opioid pain management in the emergency department. A love of the outdoors also drives her interest in wilderness and austere medicine. She is a member of the Wilderness Medical Society and volunteers with the Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association to teach safety and rescue skills to recreational boaters.
Erin Hallinan is the clinical lead of advanced practice in clinical care at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center at Hartford Healthcare, where she practices as an APRN intensivist and nurse practitioner in the Critical Care Department. She is board-certified as both a family nurse practitioner (FNP) and an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) and holds certifications in both critical care (CCRN) and progressive care (PCCN).
Hallinan was appointed to the most recent ACNPC-AG Practice Analysis Task Force by the AACN Certification Corporation, where she helped identify the responsibilities of an adult-gerontology ACNP, as well as the task and knowledge areas that would comprise the new ACNPC-AG Test Plan.
Dr. Erin Pérez is the president of Texas Nurse Practitioners, the largest state NP organization in the United States. She is an adult geriatric NP who sub-specializes in palliative and hospice care. She also serves as chair of the Texas Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Advisory Council—the first nurse and NP to Chair a Texas Advisory Council.
Dr. Pérez is recognized as a pioneer and trailblazer for the nursing profession and high-risk populations. Her grassroots advocacy, invited testimony, and policy work, have helped enact many meaningful changes for nurses and their patients in Texas. She continues to bring transformational leadership to state, national, and international forums on healthcare, APRNs, and broader healthcare policy. In 2021, Dr. Pérez became the first NP elected to municipal office in Texas and the first Latina to serve on the Live Oak City Council. She is currently one of five nurses in an elected office in Texas.
Gilbert M. Comola, MSN, ANP, is a nurse practitioner in the Department of Urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where he is also the fellowship director of the urologic advanced practice provider fellowship. He earned his MSN from Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes Jewish College, and completed his urology fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine.
Comola’s current clinical practice is housed within the division of reconstructive urology and pelvic health at VUMC. His clinical interests include men’s health, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, and pelvic floor reconstructive surgery. Comola helped lead the design of the urologic NP fellowship program at VUMC.
Dr. Gordon Gillespie has been a registered nurse for over 25 years, working in emergency departments, public health, and academic settings.
His work has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the American Nurses Association, and practitioners and researchers across six continents. He has chaired the national workplace violence conference, guest edited two interprofessional journal issues on workplace violence, co-chaired the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s second edition of the Best Practice Guideline “Preventing and Managing Bullying and Violence in the Workplace,” and served as an international director of the Emergency Nurses Association.
Dr. Heather Jackson is the administrative director of advanced practice at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, part of Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She holds dual roles as a nationally recognized pain clinician and associate professor of nursing at both the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
As a distinguished nursing scientist, Dr. Jackson has pioneered the use of acupuncture for managing pain and opioid dependence across adult, neonatal, and pediatric populations.
Dr. Heather Shlosser is the associate dean of the graduate school of nursing at Simmons University. Prior to her role at Simmons, Dr. Shlosser was an associate professor and program director at Frontier Nursing University (FNU). She played a key role in the development of the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) program at FNU.
In addition to her leadership and academic appointments at Simmons, Dean Shlosser continues to work as a certified FNP and PMHNP in full-spectrum clinical practice. Among her professional areas of focus are the integration of behavioral health programs within primary care and mindfulness therapy.
Dr. Shlosser holds a BSN from Our Lady of the Elms, an MSN (family nurse practitioner) from Frontier Nursing University, and a DNP (psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner) from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Humberto Reinoso is an assistant professor and the nurse practitioner coordinator at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University. He received his MSN and his PhD in nursing from Barry University in Miami, Florida.
Prior to joining the faculty at Mercer University, Dr. Reinoso served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami and at Barry University, where he taught undergraduate and graduate nursing students. He holds dual certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP).
Dr. Ivy Alexander is a professor and director of the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner track at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. Her clinical, scholarly, and research interests are in primary care for underserved populations, including veterans and their families, and midlife women’s healthcare, especially menopause-related symptom management and osteoporosis prevention, identification, and management.
With over 30 years of clinical and academic experience, she has extensive expertise in both clinical and didactic education. She has served as director for multiple HRSA-funded programs supporting the education and training of primary care nurse practitioners to care for underserved populations.
Dr. Jackie Barber is the dean and full professor of the Nylen School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Morningside University. She received her BSN degree from Morningside College, her MSN degree from Creighton University, and her doctorate in education and health professions from College of Saint Mary. She demonstrates expertise in medical-surgical, oncology, infusion therapy, and community/population health. She continues to deliver patient care in the practice of home infusion in rural settings.
Dr. Barber has over 28 years of teaching experience. She is a certified Quality Matters evaluator and led the initiative to design and implement the graduate and doctoral nursing programs at Morningside University. She is a past recipient of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) LANP Fellowship and the Wharton Executive Leadership Program. She has served on the AACN Essentials Revision Taskforce and the AACN CNL Competency Revision Taskforce. She also chaired the AACN’s Nominating Committee, and is currently serving as AACN’s Essentials Consulting Coach. She is a former member of the Commission on Nurses Certification Board of Commissioners (CNC), a past board member of the Iowa League of Nursing, and a former president of the Iowa Association of Colleges of Nurses. She currently serves as the Chair of the Iowa Board of Nursing.
Janessa Broussard is an assistant professor in the hiv care and prevention concentration for the master of science program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing. She earned her master of science in nursing (MSN) as an adult geriatric primary care nurse practitioner with an HIV focus from UCSF. She is a certified American Academy of HIV Medicine Specialist (AAHIVS).
Before joining the faculty at UCSF, Broussard served in several roles at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, including senior director of clinical services and vice president of medical affairs. She is currently completing her PhD in nursing with a focus in HIV prevention and management at UCSF.
Janet Vaughan is an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and the Senior Nurse Practitioner in the Anesthesia Pain Service at the University of Rochester Medical Center, where she is also the Director of Clinical Operations for Anesthesia Research.
Vaughan earned her master’s as a family medicine nurse practitioner from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She has extensive experience in clinical research and in providing ongoing clinical care for patients with malignant and non-malignant pain conditions.
Jeannie Pauline Yockey-Fine, JD
Jeannie Pauline Yockey-Fine is the general counsel and vice president for policy, regulatory affairs, and administration at NC-SARA, where she provides advice, risk analysis, and counsel to the organization.
With a background in analyzing regulations and licensure issues, Yockey-Fine has worked with prestigious law firms and served as licensure manager at the Florida Department of Education’s Commission for Independent Education. She shares her expertise through presentations, workshops, and co-authored papers. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a JD from the University of Kansas
Dr. Jennifer Adamski is a clinical assistant professor and director of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, and a critical care ACNP for Cleveland Clinic’s Critical Care Flight Team. She also serves as a director on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) board of directors, as well as on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation board of directors.
Dr. Adamski is an independent consultant for APRN model development and serves as an APRN expert witness for trauma and critical care. Her academic work focuses on trauma prevention and system development, rapid response teams, and critical care/trauma advances in hemorrhagic shock. She earned her MSN from the University of Pittsburgh and her DNP from the University of South Alabama. In addition, Dr. Adamski is a Fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine.
Dr. Jennifer Clifton is a family nurse practitioner and has been a faculty member at the University of Utah College of Nursing (CON) since 2005. In addition, she serves as a primary care provider in Utah’s Juvenile Justice Services (JJS) clinics, and at the Summit County Health Department. She is also the CON director of primary care and the interim associate dean of faculty practice.
Dr. Clifton speaks nationally regarding various topics concerning juvenile correctional healthcare and serves on the NCCHC Juvenile Health Committee. She also serves on the NCCHC Board of Representatives as a liaison with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She completed the Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leader fellowship in 2016 and was inducted as a fellow into the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2020.
Jennifer Flynn is vice president of risk management for the Nurses Service Organization within the Healthcare Division of Aon’s Affinity Insurance Services, Inc. With more than 24 years of experience in healthcare insurance, she specializes in educating nurses and healthcare professionals on professional liability risks and developing strategies to promote patient safety and quality management.
A certified professional in healthcare risk management and a licensed property & casualty agent, Flynn is a frequent national speaker and published author on healthcare risk and liability topics. She holds a BA in psychology from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Jennifer Rodgers is the vice president of advanced practice for the University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She has been instrumental in formalizing the advancement opportunities fo advanced practice providers (APPs) and has led the development of a systemwide Surgical APP Post-Graduate Fellowship.
Dr. Rodgers is a voting member of the Medical Board at the University of Colorado. She leads over 700 APPs and nearly 50 APP leads. She oversees and supports APP workforce, recruitment, hiring, development of new APP models of care, strategic and operational oversight, promotion, mentoring, professional advancement, and student placement.
Dr. Rodgers received her DNP from the University of Alabama. She is board certified as an acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP-BC), 21 with years of experience as a pulmonary nurse practitioner, caring for adult patients from critical care to hospice.
She also serves on the National Advanced Practice Advisory Council and is a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP). Dr. Rodgers was awarded the AANP State Award for Clinical Excellence and the University of Colorado Hospital Medical Staff Leadership Award.
Dr. Jennifer Sheaffer is the chair of graduate nursing at the Breiner School of Nursing at the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and a nurse practitioner at WellSpan Evangelical Hospital, where she brings a wealth of clinical and educational expertise. With a focus on family practice, her extensive clinical experience includes more than a decade as a nurse practitioner.
Dr. Sheaffer holds a doctor of nursing practice from Pennsylvania Western University Edinboro and a master’s of nursing degree as a family nurse practitioner from Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. Her research explores adolescent social media behaviors and innovations in rural mobile health, reflecting her commitment to advancing patient care, fostering healthcare solutions, and mentoring future professionals
Dr. Jennifer Sonney is the Joanne Montgomery Endowed Professor and associate dean for student and academic affairs at the University of Washington School of Nursing. Her nearly two decades of experience as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner have profoundly impacted her career as a clinician, scientist, educator, and advocate.
Dr. Sonney’s research focuses on improving health outcomes for children with chronic conditions, particularly asthma. She is passionate about preparing the next generation of pediatric advanced practice nurses and delights in drawing upon her years of primary care to bring pediatrics alive in the classroom. She has mentored over 100 graduate students, advocated for NPs across many national forums, served as president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners from 2022-2023, and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Jennifer Walker is a cardiac NP specializing in cardiac electrophysiology at the University of North Carolina (UNC). She works in the Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology and manages patients with atrial fibrillation, pacemakers, defibrillators, complex arrhythmias, and cardiac diseases. Part of her time is dedicated to research; her current grant-funded projects focus on improving the quality of life for patients with AFib through virtual educational support groups and optimizing AFib outcomes through community outreach.
As a nurse educator, Walker serves as a clinical faculty member in the MSN Division at the UNC School of Nursing. Additional notable accomplishments include helping to build the AFib Transitions Clinic program at UNC, which has been shown to significantly reduce hospital admissions. It won the 2021 UNC Quality and Safety Award.
At the national level, Walker has given several presentations on cardiac electrophysiology for the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA), and American College of Cardiology (ACC). She also is scheduled to speak at the 2022 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) conference.
Dr. Jennifer Wilbeck is a Professor of Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where she is also the Emergency NP Academic Director. She has over 20 years of experience in emergency healthcare, including pre-hospital, emergency department, critical care access, and trauma care.
At Vanderbilt, Dr. Wilbeck’s leadership of the nation’s first dual NP academic program for ENP preparation continues to serve as a model for ENP educational programs. She has also led the development of national practice standards and the creation of a national ENP specialty certification board examination.
Dr. Wilbeck was the founding Board Chair for the first national specialty professional organization for ENP practice, the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners AAENP), where she now serves as Executive Director.
Dr. Jeremy Jordan is an executive board member at large at the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP). He is also an assistant professor and coordinator of the acute care PNP specialty track at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a practicing PNP in the Pediatric ICU at Children’s of Alabama. He has more than 12 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and researcher.
In addition to teaching and clinical practice, Dr. Jordan researches the prevention, diagnosis, and management of pediatric neurologic injury. He has served as co-chair of the Acute SIG and as a member of the inaugural DEI Committee of NAPNAP.
A nationally-recognized anti-human trafficking advocate, Dr. Jessica Peck is a clinical professor at Baylor University’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing and holds credentials as a pediatric nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and clinical nurse leader. She has extensive clinical and teaching experience in Texas.
Elected as President of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) in 2020, she has led an organization of 9,000 nurse practitioners during the biggest global health crisis of the 21st century. Rather than let physical distancing isolate her organization, she and her team have pivoted their annual conference to virtual spaces, made child health equity a priority, and created the TeamPeds Talks podcast, which provides continuing education credit for nurses and uplifting stories for all.
Dr. Joanne Spetz directs the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies (IHPS) at the University of California San Francisco, a 50-year-old research unit dedicated to supporting, guiding, and informing policymakers, communities, and clinicians in their decision-making. She is also the Brenda and Jeffrey L. Kang Presidential Chair in Health Care Financing at IHPS.
Her expertise centers on the economics of the healthcare workforce, the organization of healthcare services, and healthcare quality. She is currently directing a federally funded UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care, which provides evidence to address individuals’ needs across the lifespan with patient-centered care. She is an internationally renowned scholar in nursing workforce studies researching nurse supply and demand. She holds a master’s and a doctorate in economics from Stanford University.
Dr. John Silver is an RN, healthcare policy expert, and educator. He holds an MSN with a focus on health policy and ethics and a PhD in comparative studies to search for solutions to problems within the US healthcare system. In 2020, Dr. Silver co-founded the advocacy group Nurses Transforming Healthcare to create a patient-focused system with safe staffing levels.
Dr. Silver writes and speaks internationally about the U.S. healthcare system and transforming ethics in healthcare and advocates for full practice authority of NPs.
Dr. Judy Rice is a tenured associate professor at East Tennessee State University College of Nursing. She has served the public and nursing profession by advancing practice, educating psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students, and advocating for those who most often do not have a voice. She has published and presented her work widely.
Dr. Rice has devoted her career to the care of vulnerable persons with psychiatric disorders, and she has instilled this passion into her students. She instituted the first PMHNP program in 2001 to address the increasing community behavioral/mental health crisis. She practices as a PMHNP at the ETSU Johnson City Downtown Day Center (JCDDC), a rural Appalachia nurse-led primary care clinic. She applied for and received continuing funding for the PATH (Programs for Assistance to Transition from Homelessness) Program, providing an array of services and supports at the JCDDC that are not covered by mainstream mental health programs. She became the first regional provider of mental health services in two local county detention centers. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Julie Koklys is an assistant professor at Lewis University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, where she is also the Chair of the Department of Nursing. She received her MS in family health nursing and nursing education from the University of South Florida and her DNP from Lewis University.
Her DNP research was titled “Nurse Practitioner Perceived Readiness for Full Practice Authority.” Dr. Koklys currently serves as the Government Relations Chair for the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice Nursing (ISAPN).
Dr. Julie Parve is the director of graduate nursing and an associate professor at Concordia University. A dedicated family nurse practitioner, she earned her master’s and doctor of nursing practice degrees at Concordia, inspiring her return to the university as faculty. She brings extensive clinical experience in family medicine, urgent care, surgery, labor and delivery, and outpatient care, alongside a passion for international mission work, having participated in over 15 medical missions across countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Peru.
Dr. Parve is deeply committed to mentoring future nurse practitioners, often integrating them into her mission trips as part of their education. Her specialties in family medicine, dermatology, and infectious diseases reflect her broad clinical interests, while her supportive and flexible approach to online learning fosters success in her students.
Dr. Kaneez Odgers was born in Kenya, grew up in Canada, and has spent most of her career in the USA. She is a nurse practitioner, educator, and healthcare leader with expertise in clinical practice, research, and evidence-based performance improvement. She earned her BSN from the University of Calgary, her master of nursing as a family nurse practitioner from UMDNJ (now Rutgers University of New Jersey), and her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) from William Paterson University, focusing on primary care and evidence-based practice.
Dr. Odgers is an assistant professor of nursing at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she designs curriculum and teaches at both the baccalaureate and graduate levels. She also practices as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) at University Health and Urgent Care in Totowa, NJ, providing primary, urgent, and chronic pain management care. Her clinical experience includes pediatrics, providing care in underserved communities, and care of the elderly. She is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Transcultural Nursing Society, and the American Nurses Association.
Beyond her professional work, Dr. Odgers is a dedicated wife and mother of two sons. She remains passionate about healthcare education, patient-centered care, and advancing nursing practice through research and mentorship.
Dr. Kara Mestnik is a family nurse practitioner specializing in thoracic and foregut surgery at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). She is also a surgical advanced practice provider (APP) manager at URMC.
Dr. Mestnik completed her bachelor of science in nursing and master of science degree at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York. She went on to complete her DNP from the University of Rochester School of Nursing.
Dr. Mestnik holds a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Her career passion incorporates the professional advancement of the Advanced Practice Provider while helping to shape clinical care outcomes among the surgical population.
Dr. Karen A. Kalmakis is an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst College of Nursing, where she is also the director of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program. She earned her MPH, her MSN, and her PhD from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
A certified family nurse practitioner with special interests in health outcomes of trauma and informed care, Dr. Kalmakis has received federal and foundation funding to support her research foci and disseminated her findings widely through peer-reviewed publications and at national and international conferences.
Dr. Karen Hyden is a distinguished nurse leader who holds a Pastoral Counseling License and is a double board-certified nurse practitioner in women’s health and hospice & palliative care. She combines her unique clinical expertise and leadership skills with a passion for creating successful care models for vulnerable populations by leading palliative care programs nationwide.
Dr. Hyden has served on the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Board and serves on Tennessee’s Palliative Care & Quality of Life Advisory Council. An accomplished author and educator, she has contributed to evidence-based literature, including the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing and has taught at the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care for nearly a decade.
Dr. Karen Jefferson is the Director of Midwifery Practice and Education for the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the professional association for Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives. She is adjunct faculty at Thomas Jefferson University, where she was formerly the Program Coordinator for the Doctorate in Midwifery program.
For 17 years, she co-owned a private midwifery practice in New York City, attending births at home. A State University of New York-Downstate graduate, Dr. Jefferson is a former member of the board of directors of the ACNM and the past president of the New York State Association of Licensed Midwives. Her advocacy work helped pass two major midwifery bills in NY, and she is now working to support licensure for Certified Midwives in all 50 states. Her scholarly focus is on strengthening midwifery associations as well as changing public policy surrounding licensure and regulation of midwives in the U.S.
Dr. Karen M. Daley serves as the dean of the Dr. Susan L. Davis, RN & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing at Sacred Heart University. Under her leadership, the college offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including BSN, MSN, and DNP degrees, as well as RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN pathways, and certificate programs designed to advance nursing careers and meet the healthcare needs of diverse communities.
Dr. Daley’s commitment to nursing education is evident through her involvement in various initiatives that enhance the academic experience of nursing students. Her efforts contribute to the college’s emphasis on spirituality, ethics, diversity, and community within the Catholic intellectual tradition. The college also focuses on service learning, campus-community partnerships, individualized student counseling, and hands-on clinical practice in state-of-the-art facilities.
Dr. Karen Theoktisto is a recently retired pediatric nurse practitioner with over 40 years of pediatric nursing experience. She earned her BSN/MSN from the University of Florida and was a graduate of the University of Florida’s first DNP class. Her research-based master’s thesis studied the benefits of school nurses and helped unlock funding for a nurse in every school in Florida’s Alachua County.
Dr. Theoktisto has been working with children since her teens when she volunteered as a candy striper. After earning her nursing diploma, she spent 14 years in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units. As an APRN, Dr. Theoktisto worked for eight years in private practice before transitioning to the University of Florida College of Medicine’s Eastside Community Practice, where she served for 12 years as a primary care PNP and clinical preceptor for nurses and medical residents.
Kate Hanselman has over a decade of experience working in mental health as a nurse, a first responder in New York, and a health professions educator. She has worked with adults and seniors who deal with family conflict, transgender issues, grief, sexual orientation issues, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, anger issues, dysfunctional relationships, ADHD, behavioral issues, women’s issues, and more.
Hanselman earned an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in science from King’s College London.
Dr. Kathryn Holliday is a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP) and an assistant professor for the College of Nursing at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where she is also the Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program. She earned her doctor of nursing practice degree (DNP) from SUNY Buffalo in 2019 and her MS from the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse in 2014.
Prior to joining the faculty at SUNY Upstate, Dr. Holliday taught at Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital from 2012 to 2019. She has worked in the PICU and pediatric urgent care setting as a registered nurse and has also worked as a PNP in primary care and pediatric urgent care settings. The focus of her DNP capstone was research into the use of pediatric simulation in nursing education, a topic that was presented at the Nursing Education Research Conference in March 2020.
Dr. Kathryn Trotter is an associate clinical professor in the School of Nursing at Duke University, where she is the lead faculty for the women’s health nurse practitioner major. She teaches advanced women’s health courses, as well as the basic perinatal health course and gynecology content within other courses for all NP students.
Dr. Trotter maintains clinical practice as a certified nurse-midwife and family nurse practitioner in the Duke University Medical Center and is the senior NP for two clinics: the benign breast clinic and the high-risk breast cancer clinic at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Trotter earned her BSN from George Mason University and her MSN with a specialty in midwifery from the University of Kentucky. She earned both her post-master’s certificate as a family nurse practitioner and her DNP from Duke University School of Nursing.
Before joining the faculty of the Duke University School of Nursing, Dr. Trotter held faculty positions with physician resident education in the Department of Family Medicine within the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Medical School and was a full-time primary care provider. She is a fellow of both the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nurses.
Dr. Kathy Kennedy serves as an assistant professor within the College of Health Sciences at the Kitty DeGree School of Nursing at the University of Louisiana, Monroe. She holds tenure and specializes in maternal-child health nursing and nursing synthesis courses. She earned her BSN from Northeast Louisiana University, after which she embarked on a dedicated career in maternal-child healthcare.
Dr. Kennedy further advanced her education at Frontier Nursing University in Hyden, Kentucky, where she obtained her MSN with a focus on certified nurse-midwifery, followed by a DNP.
An active leader and mentor, Dr. Kennedy serves as president-elect of Sigma Theta Tau International’s Lambda Mu Chapter and is affiliated with professional organizations such as AWHONN, the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American College of Nurse Midwives. She also acts as a faculty counselor for the Student Nurses Association, engaging with students in community and medical service projects.
Dr. Kim Litwack is the Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Nursing, where she has been a tenured Professor since 2004. Prior to this, she was an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan (2000-2004), the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque (1992-2000), and Rush University (1984-1992).
Dr. Litwack received her MSN in medical-surgical nursing from Case Western Reserve University and her PhD in educational administration from Kent State University. Her nursing background has been in the areas of critical care, perianesthesia care, and, more recently, ambulatory care and pain management.
Dr. Litwack has won several awards for her contributions to nursing and nursing education, including the DAISY Foundation’s Award for Extraordinary Faculty in 2015.
Dr. Kristen Geyer is an associate professor of nursing and the MSN/APRN program coordinator at Kentucky Christian University. She teaches in the online MSN-FNP program.
Dr. Geyer received her BSN degree at Cedarville University, her MSN at the University of Cincinnati, and her DNP at East Carolina University. She also works as a family nurse practitioner in primary care.
Dr. Kristin Bott is an assistant professor and director of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner track at the University of Connecticut School of Nursing. She has been practicing in the acute care practice setting for over 17 years and has served in varying roles and capacities both in the clinical practice setting and in the university.
Dr. Bott began as a staff nurse in the ICU and worked in MICU, CTICU, and Progressive Cardiac units. She graduated with her acute care nurse practitioner degree from the University of Connecticut in 2011.
Post-graduation, Dr. Bott’s clinical role was in electrophysiology, and she soon became the manager of the electrophysiology department at her institution. She has also served as the technical director of electrophysiology in the hospital setting. Dr. Bott remains active in clinical practice in the hospital setting and also serves as an advisory council and board member of the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.
Dr. Kristy Oden is Department Chair and Director of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program at the University of North Alabama. She received her BSN from the University of North Alabama, and her MSN and DNP from the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Within the MSN program at the University of North Alabama, Dr. Oden has taught courses in advanced research, nursing theory, and advanced pathophysiology.
Over the years, Dr. Oden has made several local presentations and has represented the College of Nursing and the university through podium and poster presentations at the international level. Additionally, she has authored and co-authored articles for publication in peer-reviewed nursing journals. Dr. Oden continues to maintain an active family nurse practitioner (FNP) certification through local practice and volunteering.
Dr. Krystal E. Canady is the assistant director of graduate nursing programs and an associate professor of nursing at Georgia College & State University’s School of Nursing. She received her BSN from Georgia College & State University, graduating as vice president of her class. She returned shortly after to pursue her master’s degree as an FNP. She practiced family medicine for several years before returning to the emergency room, where she had also spent most of her time as a BSN-RN.
Dr. Canady completed her post-master’s in nursing education and her DNP at Georgia Southern University, where she received a recognition award for demonstrating exemplary promise in improving patient care.
Dr. Canady has multiple publications and presentations. Her research interests include stressors in the nurses’ working environment and the DNP’s role in nursing education. She currently practices as an FNP at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) clinic and is passionate about caring for underserved and vulnerable patient populations.
Leah Foster Smith is the director of advanced practitioners at a large nephrology practice in North Carolina. She oversees the country’s largest group of advanced practice providers (APPs) and practices as a board-certified nephrology NP. She earned her BSN and MSN from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Smith is president-elect of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), the Greater Charlotte Chapter. She also serves on the ANNA National Program Committee and the Health Policy Workgroup. Smith speaks at many local and national nephrology conferences, including those hosted by ANNA, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), and the Renal Physician Association (RPA). She is on the Council of Advanced Practitioners for the NKF and the Clinical Practice Committee for the RPA.
Dr. Leanne H. Fowler is the program director of nurse practitioner programs at LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing, where she is also an associate professor of clinical nursing and the program coordinator of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGACNP) concentration. She received her BSN from Southern University and A&M College, her MSN/MBA from the University of Phoenix, and her DNP from the University of South Alabama.
Dr. Fowler has over 20 years of nursing experience and more than 12 years in academic nursing education. Her clinical expertise is focused on acute and critically ill adults within hospital settings. Dr. Fowler is an active member of several professional nursing and medical organizations, and health-related or faith-based community organizations. She has formerly served or currently serves in various leadership roles at the state and national levels.
Dr. Fowler is recognized internationally as an Institute for Healthcare Improvement Fellow (2020) for leadership in quality improvement, nationally recognized in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ 2017 Circle of Excellence for contributions to the development of critical care nurses, and recognized as a Governor John Bel Edwards-appointed member of the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force for Louisiana.
Dr. LeeAnn Barfield serves as the assistant dean for graduate and clinical programs at the Florida State University College of Nursing. With extensive experience in nursing education, clinical practice, and leadership, she oversees the development and administration of graduate nursing programs, including DNP and MSN tracks, ensuring alignment with national accreditation standards. She is also an active nurse practitioner at the FSU Health Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, integrating her clinical expertise with her role as an educator and leader.
Dr. Barfield is a recognized expert in curriculum development, faculty mentoring, and quality assurance, and she is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Additionally, her professional contributions include interdisciplinary collaborations, innovative curriculum design, and addressing healthcare disparities, particularly in rural and underserved communities. With over 20 years of experience in acute care and academic leadership, she is passionate about advancing nursing education and preparing the next generation of nurse practitioners to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.
Dr. Leslie L. Davis is an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also maintains a part-time nurse practitioner practice with the Division of Cardiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with a focus on adults with hypertension, heart failure, and acute coronary syndromes.
In addition to contributing to over 30 peer-reviewed articles, Dr. Davis also served as the editor for the 2004 book Cardiovascular Nursing Secrets and two special cardiovascular editions of The Journal for Nurse Practitioners (2013, 2019). She is a fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association.
Dr. Lindsay Ann Bouchard serves as the vice chair and director of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program at the University of Arizona’s College of Nursing, where she is also an associate clinical professor. Holding a DNP degree in psychiatric mental health from the University of Arizona, a master’s in nursing from McGill University, and a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Michigan, Dr. Bouchard brings a wealth of academic and clinical expertise to her roles.
Her research focuses on resilience, compassion fatigue, and mental health, with significant contributions to nursing education and practice, including the pilot of a resiliency course for DNP students and innovative simulation-based education models. A recipient of honors such as the Excellence in Teaching Award and Extraordinary Faculty Award, she is a leader in fostering well-being and advancing nursing education.
Additionally, Dr. Bouchard has extensive clinical experience in psychiatric-mental health and has collaborated on numerous publications and presentations that address critical issues in nursing and healthcare.
Lisa Kottschade is an associate professor of oncology, a nurse practitioner in the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Clinic, and holds associate status at Mayo Clinic. Kottschade is also the chief operations officer for the Midwest Melanoma Partnership and chair for the Alliance in Clinical Trials of Oncology Nursing committee. She obtained her BSN from Winona State University and her MSN from St. Louis University.
Kottschade has published extensively on both melanoma and side effect management and is currently leading the Immunotherapy Toxicity Working Group at Mayo Clinic. She is also Secretary of the Board for the Advanced Practitioner Society For Hematology and Oncology (APSHO).
Dr. Lisa M. Onesko is the director of the DNP program and an associate professor at Kent State University’s College of Nursing. She currently teaches classes in adult-gerontology primary care, organizational systems, quality improvement in healthcare systems, and applications to evidence-based practice.
Dr. Onesko has also previously served as the director of NP programs and the director of the adult-gerontology program at Kent State. A nurse practitioner since 2002, she works for an internal medicine practice at the Cleveland Clinic. Notably, in 2012 and 2015, Dr. Onesko won the Barbara Donaho Distinguished Leadership in Learning Award.
Dr. Lydia Bartholow is a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Portland, Oregon, with expertise in addiction medicine and trauma-informed care. She holds a DNP degree from Oregon Health & Science University and serves as assistant professor of psychiatry at OHSU. With a strong focus on harm reduction and trauma-informed practices, she has held leadership roles, including medical director of general psychiatry and associate clinical director at Central City Concern.
Dr. Bartholow also teaches at the University of California, San Francisco, and consults on substance use disorder services. Her work has earned her numerous honors, including the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from OHSU’s School of Nursing.
Dr. Lynne M. Dunphy is professor emerita for the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). She is also director of nurse practitioner education for VisualDX, an AI-powered diagnostic support tool for clinicians.
Dr. Dunphy previously served as full professor and assistant dean of graduate programs at FAU. She was also a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow from 2009 to 2012 and in 2012, was the founding nurse lead of the Rhode Island Action Coalition (RIAC), established to advance the Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing report published in 2011. Dr. Dunphy is the author of the widely-used textbook, Primary Care: The Art and Science of Advanced Practice Nursing, now going into its fifth edition.
Dr. Midge Bowers is an associate professor and lead faculty for the cardiovascular specialty at Duke University School of Nursing. She holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Medicine as an NP and is a faculty consultant at the School of Medicine.
Dr. Bower’s clinical focus is on patients with heart failure, and her scholarly work is focused on a DNP-led model of care for patients with heart failure. As an associate in the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and a certified health simulation educator, she is the only NP on the leadership team of the ACC simulation council.
Dr. Bowers is actively involved in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) as a fellow and the chair of the Cardiology Special Practice Group. She also serves as director-at-large on the board of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Margaret Zoellers is an associate professor and the rural health family nurse practitioner (FNP) program coordinator at Eastern Kentucky University’s School of Nursing. She earned both her MSN and DNP from Eastern Kentucky University.
Dr. Zoellers is a practicing APRN with over 24 years of advanced nursing practice experience, primarily in family practice but also in women’s health, internal medicine, urgent care, and university student health. Prior to earning her MSN, she spent five years in registered nursing practice, with experience in medical/surgical, home health, and emergency care.
Dr. Mark Foster is a dedicated nursing educator, clinician, and academic leader currently serving as the chair of graduate nursing studies and assistant professor of nursing at Arkansas State University. With over two decades of experience in nursing education and clinical practice, he has been instrumental in curriculum development, faculty mentorship, and research initiatives.
Dr. Foster holds a doctor of nursing practice from the University of Southern Indiana and both MSN-FNP and BSN degrees from Arkansas State University. His research focuses on telemedicine integration, patient simulation in clinical education, and advancements in primary care practices.
Beyond academia, Dr. Foster remains actively engaged in clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner, ensuring his teaching reflects real-world healthcare challenges. He has contributed significantly to the field through national conference presentations, textbook reviews, and service on multiple professional committees. A member of esteemed organizations such as the National League for Nursing and the Arkansas Nurse Practitioner Association, he is committed to advancing nursing education and practice.
Dr. Marne Juestel is a clinical assistant professor of nursing at the Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing in Gary, Indiana. She received her BSN from Valparaiso University, and her DNP from Rush University.
Over a 25-year nursing career, Dr. Juestel has practiced as an emergency medicine NP and as a family NP, working in both rural and non-rural settings. Prior to joining the faculty at IU Northwest, Dr. Juestel served as an assistant professor at Purdue University Northwest. She currently splits her time between academic and clinical settings.
Dr. Mary Chesney is a Clinical Professor and the Katherine R. & C. Walton Lillehei Chair for Nursing Leadership at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. She practiced as a certified pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care for more than 30 years. Her teaching, clinical, and scholarship expertise includes advocacy for optimal child/youth health, US health policy, advanced practice registered nurse utilization, and health system quality improvement.
Dr. Chesney’s leadership experience includes serving as Health Policy Chair (2010-2013) and President (2014-2015) of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. She has provided legislative testimony and served numerous Minnesota legislative and executive branch appointments on health reform.
Dr. Chesney co-founded the MN APRN Coalition and led the Coalition’s successful 2014 campaign at the Capitol to bring full practice authority to Minnesota’s APRNs. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (2014) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (2016).
Dr. Mary Ellen Roberts is an associate professor in the College of Nursing at Seton Hall University. As an adult nurse practitioner and acute care nurse practitioner, she also maintains a practice with Atlantic Health System. She is known for her expertise in cardiovascular care, specializing in women and heart disease, hypertension, lipids, and acute coronary syndrome.
Dr. Roberts is past president of the AANP Board of Directors and co-author of the seminal AANP white paper on the Doctor of Nursing Practice. Her enduring interest is the advancement of the nurse practitioner role in today’s healthcare environment, encouraging and teaching nurse practitioners role development, advancement, and the importance of staying politically active.
Dr. Mary Lou Affronti is a clinical professor at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). She earned both her DNP and her MSN at DUSON and a master’s degree in health science in clinical research from the Duke University School of Medicine. She is also a primary investigator and adult nurse practitioner at the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center in the Duke Cancer Institute.
Dr. Affronti has been a part of Duke’s oncology clinical and research community for over three-and-a-half decades and has been associated with DUSON since 1989 in various roles, including clinical associate, guest lecturer, preceptor, and clinical instructor. She was instrumental in developing the oncology curriculum for DUSON nurse practitioner students. She also serves as the director for the oncology specialty and adult gerontology nurse practitioner-primary care (AGNP-PC) Program.
Dr. Affronti received the Southern Nursing Research Society Clinical Research Award in 2018 and was inducted into Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) in 2020. As a well-published, expert neuro-oncology NP and primary investigator, she conducts research in therapeutic and supportive care trials.
Dr. Mary Franklin is an Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, where she is also Director of the Nurse-Midwifery Program. She received her BSN, MSN, and DNP from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Franklin’s teaching responsibilities include maternity and newborn nursing, informatics, and well-woman gynecology courses.
Dr. Franklin has received the Most Outstanding Nurse Midwife Award from the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the American College of Nurse-Midwives; the Ohio Exemplary Midwife Award from the Ohio Chapters of the ACNM; and the Clinical Star Award from the ACNM. She became a Fellow of the ACNM in 2021.
Dr. Maura Abbott is an assistant professor of nursing and oncology program director at Columbia University School of Nursing. She is also a nurse practitioner in the Columbia University Medical Center Department of Hematology and Oncology.
Dr. Abbott earned her MSN and her PhD in nursing from Yale University, where she also served as an instructor in the graduate pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) and family nurse practitioner (FNP) programs before joining the faculty at Columbia University.
Dr. Maureen Cooney is a Pain Management Nurse Practitioner at Westchester Medical Center, an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Pace University, and President of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN).
Dr. Cooney earned her BS and MS in nursing from Pace University, and her DNP from Case Western Reserve. She has extensive experience in acute pain management, critical care, and nursing education.
Dr. Mavis Schorn is a professor, senior associate dean for academics, and a nurse-midwife in faculty practice at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She is responsible for curricular and faculty oversight and evaluation, identifying and implementing academic strategic direction, and serving as the academic representative to the university and to external stakeholders.
Dr. Schorn’s current research and scholarly interests include the third stage of labor, teaching methods, and advanced practice nursing policy. She is a fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), and the National Academies of Practice (NAP).
Dr. Megan Pratt is an associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno Orvis School of Nursing, where she is also program director of the family nurse practitioner and adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner programs. She earned her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; her post-master’s certificate as a nurse educator from the University of Nevada, Reno; and her doctorate of nursing practice from Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Pratt maintains a clinical practice providing cardiovascular care and risk reduction to Nevada first responders. She is also an active volunteer with Nevada Donor Network. She is a gerontological specialist. Through grant work and community and national initiatives, she is dedicated to improving care of older adults. She is actively involved with the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurse Association (GAPNA), working as a mentor for the GAPNA Leadership Institute.
Dr. Megan Simmons is an assistant professor and the director of the PMHNP program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. She earned her MSN and DNP from Vanderbilt and joined the faculty in 2013.
Dr. Simmons has almost two decades of clinical experience working with older adults in the outpatient and skilled nursing/long-term care settings, and she currently practices in the outpatient geriatric psychiatry clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) through her secondary faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at VUMC. In addition, she has been the program coordinator for the behavioral health workforce education and training program, funded through a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) training grant, since the program’s inception at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2021.
Dr. Simmons is active in multiple professional organizations, and she was honored with the Middle Tennessee Behavioral Health Nurse of the Year Award from the March of Dimes in 2014.
Dr. Michael E. Zychowicz is a clinical professor of nursing at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). Since 2009, when he joined the DUSON faculty, he has held several leadership positions within the school. He is currently co-director for the Duke-Durham VA post-graduate primary care NP residency. He also leads the graduate-level veterans’ health specialty and the orthopedic np specialty program that was developed with generous extramural funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
Dr. Zychowicz’s scholarly interests include advancing orthopedic practice and education and post-graduate training programs for NPs. He has a clinical interest in occupational back injuries and the impact of health beliefs on return to work time. He has been developing and exploring the use of virtual reality to teach distance-based students psychomotor skills allowing them to practice skills while away from a traditional nursing lab.
Dr. Zychowicz is the editor of the books Orthopedic Nursing Secrets and Introduction to Orthopedic Nursing, and has published several journal articles and book chapters on various orthopedic topics. He received the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Award for Excellence in 2007, and was also selected for the Outstanding Orthopedic Nurse Award by the National Association of Orthopedic Nurses (NAON).
Molly Lillis Cahill is an adult nurse practitioner and certified nephrology nurse. She earned her MSN from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After completing her nursing degree, she has remained passionate and involved in nephrology nursing and has served as a preceptor for many BSN and NP students.
Cahill is a member of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), the National Kidney Foundation Heritage Club (NKF HC), and the NKF Council for Nephrology Nurses. Cahill won the Nephrology Nursing Journal’s Education Writing Award for an article she co-authored in 2021.
Nicole Miele is a full-time senior lecturer at Regis College for the psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program. Previously, she served as an adjunct faculty member at Boston College for their undergraduate and master’s entry programs. Miele received a BA degree in psychology from Rhode Island College, her BSN from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, a master’s in nursing leadership and health systems management from Drexel University, and a CAGS-PMHNP from Northeastern University.
In addition to teaching at Regis College, Miele works as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner in her private practice in Rhode Island. She specializes in women’s mental health and incorporates functional medicine, mindfulness-based practices, and nutritional psychiatry into her practice. She is a member of the Rhode Island Department of Health Maternal Health Data to Action Team.
She is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Neuroscience Education Institute, PostPartum Support International, and the Institute for Functional Medicine.
Dr. Patricia Bruckenthal is the dean of Stony Brook University School of Nursing, a distinguished expert in pain management, and a prominent leader in nursing education and research. With a career spanning decades, she has advanced chronic pain assessment and management, developed innovative nursing curricula, and spearheaded the creation of the school’s PhD program. Her leadership includes serving as associate dean for research and innovation and contributing to interprofessional education through initiatives like the PACE Center. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing,
Dr. Bruckenthal has held prestigious roles, including president of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing, published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and remains a sought-after speaker and educator in health care.
Dr. Patricia Speck is a professor and coordinator of the advanced forensic nursing program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She received her master of nursing in primary care and her doctor of nursing science in public health nursing from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Nursing in Memphis.
As a board-certified family nurse practitioner, forensic nursing expert, academic, and researcher, Dr. Speck develops policy, evaluates programs, and builds nursing workforce capacity through publication, education, and violence prevention initiatives. She co-developed the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Forensic Nursing at the UTHSC in Memphis (2002), supported by HRSA funding (2004-07). She consults both nationally and internationally with governments, universities, institutions, and NGOs. Her research currently focuses on trauma-informed care and the health outcomes following violence.
Dr. Speck was founding member of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (1992), the Academy of Forensic Nurses (2018), the Forensic Nursing Certification Board (2018), and the Nursing Section at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (2021). She served as president of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (2003-2004), and the recipient of Achievement, Distinguished Fellow, and Ann W. Burgess Research Awards. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (2008), a distinguished fellow of the Academy of Forensic Nursing (2018), and a fellow of the American Academy of Nurses (2002). Dr. Speck received the Lifetime Professional Impact Award from End Violence Against Women International in 2017.
Rachel Adney is a pediatric nurse practitioner in the Division of Pediatric Pulmonology at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health. She received her MSN from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2001, and completed her pediatric pulmonary nurse practitioner fellowship in 2013.
Adney developed significant asthma in her twenties, and chose to specialize in pediatric pulmonology to combine her experience in general pediatrics with her personal experience in helping patients.
Dr. Rachel Borton is the department chairperson and an assistant professor at Bradley University’s Department of Nursing. She holds a PhD in Nursing from Illinois State University, an MSN-FNP from the University of Phoenix, and a BSN from Bradley University.
Dr. Borton focuses on teaching family nurse practitioner (FNP) concentration courses and actively contributes to the university through committee work and leadership roles. She is board-certified as an advanced practice nurse specializing in family practice, has full practice authority in Illinois, and is dedicated to both nursing education and community service.
Dr. Rene Love is associate dean For academic affairs-graduate clinical education and a clinical professor at the University of Florida College of Nursing. She earned her DNP from Vanderbilt University and her PhD from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Love’s research interests and scholarship are in vulnerable populations. In particular, she is interested in resilience within this population. She is also interested in supporting students to have opportunities to build knowledge and training in vulnerable populations. Dr. Love has led national groups working with competencies, curriculum, and scope and standards setting for AACN. She is past president of the International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and served as a member at large on the board of the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculty.
After serving in the Marine Corps for seven years, Roger Rivera earned his BSN and MSN degrees from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, followed by a certificate in psychiatric mental health from the University of Cincinnati. In 2017, he began moonlighting in an outpatient clinic for psychiatry in effort to become more professionally well-rounded and ended up finding his passion in mental healthcare.
As a PMHNP, he helps patients with conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance use disorders, depression, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. He also holds a nurse educator certificate from the University of Florida.
Dr. Ruth Kleinpell is the Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing Education at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Clinical Scholarship. Her current research and scholarly interests include the roles and scope of practice of nurse practitioners in acute care settings, outcomes of advanced practice nursing care, and promoting patient and family-centered care research.
Dr. Kleinpell is a board member of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the Tennessee Nurses Association Political Action Campaign (TNA-PAC). She is also on the editorial boards of Critical Care Medicine, the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Journal of Critical Care. Notably, Dr. Kleinpell won both the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Distinguished Service Award and the ANCC’s Certified Nurse of the Year Award in 2019.
Dr. Scot Pettey is the interim associate dean of clinical affairs and chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia at the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Gonzaga University. He’s also the director of the nurse anesthesia program. He has been a CRNA since 2009 and at Gonzaga/Providence since 2014. He earned both his doctor of nurse anesthesia practice (DNAP) and master’s of science in nurse anesthesia (MSNA) degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.
The courses Dr. Pettey teaches include basic principles of anesthesia, advanced principles of anesthesia, and chemistry and physics of anesthesia. He also oversees student clinical practicums and conducts and publishes research. His most recent work was published in the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology Journal.
Dr. Sean Clarke is the executive vice dean and a professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. His research interests include workforce issues, occupational safety for nurses, quality of services in acute care settings, and political factors in healthcare service provision and the nursing profession. As a nurse academic and health services researcher, Dr. Clarke is best known for his research on nurse staffing issues and nurses’ working conditions.
Dr. Shantha Franks is an associate professor of nursing at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she teaches in the family nurse practitioner and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner programs.
Dr. Franks received her BSN and MSN degrees from William Paterson University and her DNP degree from Seton Hall University. She holds dual certification as an adult nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse practitioner. Her clinical experience as a registered nurse was in critical care nursing, both in the coronary care unit and the medical intensive care unit. As a nurse practitioner, she has worked in college health, long-term care, subacute care, and for the past several years, internal medicine. Her current practice site is affiliated with Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, NJ. She has served as a mentor and preceptor to multiple NP students over the years. Her clinical scholarship in the DNP program focused on educating health providers regarding the management of heart failure in the long-term care population to reduce 30-day readmissions.
Dr. Shelley Carter is the family nurse practitioner (FNP) graduate program director at Missouri State University School of Nursing, where she also serves as a clinical assistant professor. She earned her BSN, FNP, and DNP from Missouri State University.
Dr. Carter’s doctoral research project focused on screening and psychotherapy for depression-chronic Illness comorbidities in a free primary care clinic. Today, in addition to teaching classes on family practice and the applications of advanced human pathophysiology, she maintains research and clinical interests in serving vulnerable populations.
Dr. Sheryl Mitchell is Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies and Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. A South Carolina native, she earned her bachelor of science in nursing, her bachelor of science in biology and psychology, and her doctor of nursing practice all from the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Mitchell teaches in the graduate nursing program at the University of South Carolina and has served as project chair for DNP students. Her research interests include vulnerable populations, graduate nursing education, simulation, policy, and breast cancer survivorship.
Dr. Mitchell currently serves as Vice-Chair of the South Carolina Nurses Association’s APRN Chapter, and as Treasurer for the Coalition for Access to Health Care. She has previously served on the South Carolina Nurses Association Board of Directors as President, President-Elect, and the Commission Chair on Public Policy and Legislation. She also is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
Dr. Sophia L. Thomas is president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). A family and pediatric nurse practitioner (NP) at the DePaul Community Health Center in Kenner (New Orleans), Louisiana, Dr. Thomas’ clinical practice has focused on providing care to medically underserved families.
Dr. Thomas is active within several professional organizations, including the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners (LANP). She has served in elected and appointed leadership and committee positions, including as president of LANP and previously in AANP as Region 6 Director. She was inducted as a Fellow in both the AANP in 2012 and the National Academy of Practice in Nursing in 2013.
In addition to her advocacy efforts, Dr. Thomas impacts NP education through publications and presentations on multiple clinical topics. As AANP president and spokesperson, her multimedia reach includes print, radio, and television. She also speaks extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, advocating for NP scope of practice legislation and for improving patient access to quality, affordable healthcare.
Dr. Stacia M. Hays is a clinical associate professor at Baylor University and a PNP who maintains an active clinical practice. She is a certified nurse educator and Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She has been a DNP program director and coordinator for pediatric acute and chronic care NP programs.
As a PNP for more than 18 years, Dr. Hays focuses on vulnerable and high-risk populations, including those with chronic illnesses and child victims of human trafficking. She was National Chair of the Best Practices and Protocols Workgroup for the Alliance for Children in Trafficking and presents nationally on human trafficking, chronic illness, and resiliency. She is a recognized advocate for NPs and has received national and international advocacy awards.
Internationally, she has worked with South America to develop the role of the NP and build a national accreditation process. Dr. Hays is the current treasurer of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).
Dr. Stacy Harris is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). She obtained her BSN and MSN from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and her DNP from the University of Central Arkansas. She has been a registered nurse since 1992, with experience in the critical care field.
Dr. Harris serves as the graduate program coordinator for the School of Nursing at UCA. In addition, she is the nurse practitioner program director. Dr. Harris has teaching responsibilities in the graduate program, primarily focusing on nurse practitioner clinical courses and advanced health assessment. She is an adult nurse practitioner with over 20 years of experience, mainly focused in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine.
Dr. Stephanie Bennett is a clinical assistant professor and graduate clinical coordinator at Georgia Baptist College of Nursing of Mercer University. She received both her MSN and DNP from Mercer University.
Dr. Bennett held positions in multiple areas of acute care, including ICU, house supervision, and management. She’s also held positions as ICU charge nurse, ICU director, and clinical supervisor. After completing the master of science in nursing program, she was employed as a full-time hospitalist at a regional hospital. She also practices as a nurse practitioner in a mental health office and volunteers at a free clinic providing primary care.
Dr. Susan VanBeuge is a professor-in-residence and the interim associate dean of advanced education at the UNLV School of Nursing. She has taught across the curriculum in the undergraduate and graduate programs. She joined the School of Nursing in 2006 and has enjoyed leadership roles as the DNP and MSN coordinator, the faculty organization president, and more.
Dr. VanBeuge is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and practices in the subspecialty of endocrinology and cardiometabolic disease. She has served in nursing regulation in Nevada and is a frequent national speaker on diabetes, thyroid disease, health policy, and leadership.
Dr. Susan Wegelt Heinz, CNM is the owner and director of the Corvallis Birth & Wellness Center in Corvallis, Oregon. She is a certified nurse-midwife and nurse practitioner with over 30 years of midwifery experience in both hospital and birth center settings. She established the Corvallis Birth & Women’s Health Center with the mission to “create a place for support, listening and relationship building, where women and families are empowered and where choices are respected—a place where safety for those served is the highest priority.”
Dr. Heinz earned her doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
Sylvana A. Brickley is a dermatology certified nurse practitioner (DCNP). She earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and master of science in nursing (MSN) at Simmons University in Boston, Massachusetts, and then completed the two-year University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) postgraduate dermatology training program in 2019.
Brickley is currently serving a two-year term as a director on the Dermatology Nurses’ Association (DNA) Board of Directors and is an editorial board member for the Journal of the Dermatology Nurses’ Association (JDNA). She presented at the DNA’s Annual Convention, is a peer reviewer for the JDNA, and has published several articles in peer-reviewed dermatology journals. Brickley is passionate about improving patient access to dermatological care and promoting high-quality educational opportunities for NPs who practice dermatology.
Dr. Tara Hommelson currently serves as the associate dean of graduate nursing at Missouri Baptist University, overseeing the family nurse practitioner, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, nurse educator, and nurse executive leadership tracks. She has worked as a registered nurse since 2008 and her nursing background includes pediatric medical-surgical, pediatric hematology and oncology, and pediatric research. Additionally, she is a board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner and has worked with adolescent medicine and pediatric plastic surgery patients in this capacity.
Dr. Hommelson earned her BSN in 2008 from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri, her MSN from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 2013, and her DNP from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2022. Dr. Hommelson was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing in 2008. In 2013, she was awarded the Shirley A. Martin Distinguished Nurse Award, and in 2022, she got the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty. Dr. Hommelson’s article, “Mindfulness Meditation to Decrease Stress in Pediatric Nurses” was published in Missouri Nurse and earned a spot as the featured article on the front cover of the Summer 2022 edition. She is a member of the National Association for Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the Coalition for Nurse Well-Being.
Dr. Tearsanee Davis is the director of clinical and advanced practice operations for the Center for Telehealth at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), and an assistant professor at UMMC School of Nursing. Dr. Davis served as adjunct faculty in the DNP program at Alcorn State University. She also is co-chair of the Health Informatics and Telehealth Specialty Interest Group (SIG), a member of the Practice Committee, and a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
A board-certified family nurse practitioner (FNP) with over 20 years of nursing experience, Dr. Davis received her DNP from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her MSN from Alcorn State University.
Dr. Davis is responsible for all day-to-day telehealth clinical operations at UMMC, including services such as remote patient monitoring (RPM) for chronic disease management, tele-mental health, corporate telehealth, and specialty telehealth. During her eight-year tenure, she’s helped establish UMMC as a pioneer in telehealth, with over 200 sites of service and a wide spectrum of medical specialties. UMMC is one of two National Centers of Excellence in Telehealth as designated by the Health Services Resource Administration (HRSA).
Teri Reyburn-Orne is the Interim Associate Director of Chronic Pain Services, Lead Advanced Practice Provider (APP) for non-anesthesia APPs, Instructor, and Acute Pain Nurse Practitioner at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Section of Pediatric Anesthesia. As such, she provides acute and chronic pain management for patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Reyburn-Orne is currently serving as the President-Elect of the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN). She earned her BSN and MSN from the University of California, San Francisco, and her post-master’s certificate at Wright State University. She is dual-boarded as both an Acute and Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. She has extensive experience in both acute and chronic pediatric pain management.
Dr. Tonya Nicholson is the department chair of midwifery and women’s health at Frontier Nursing University (FNU). She is a past FNU program director and the former chair of the Directors of Midwifery Education for the ACNM (American College of Nurse-Midwives).
Dr. Nicholson’s areas of interest include communication, civility, and precepting. In addition to her academic appointment, teaching, and speaking, Dr. Nicholson is a practicing nurse-midwife in her hometown of Dublin, Georgia.
Dr. Nicholson holds an MSN from Case Western Reserve University and a DNP from FNU, where she received her midwifery training and has spent 15 years instructing with a focus on clinical practice and prenatal health. In addition to the nurse nurse-midwifery and women’s health care nurse practitioner specialty-tracks that Dr. Nicholson oversees, FNU currently offers two other specializations: family nurse practitioner and psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. FNU also offers a doctor of nursing practice (DNP).
Dr. Tonya Renee Runner is a board certified family nurse practitioner with specialized expertise in nephrology, focusing on chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, and the director of graduate programs at Cleveland State University. She also serves as a faculty member and teaches courses such as APRN pharmacology and the DNP capstone while mentoring students on scholarly projects.
Armed with degrees in nursing, sociology, and executive management, including her DNP from Ashland University, Dr. Runner is an active member of professional organizations like the American Nephrology Nurses Association. Additionally, her community service includes volunteering with the National Kidney Foundation and Lorain County Free Clinic, reflecting her commitment to improving patient care and addressing kidney health in underserved communities.
Dr. Tosha Harris is a neonatal nurse practitioner whose current clinical practice occurs in level IV NICUs throughout the country. She earned her BSN from the University of Louisiana Monroe, her MSN from Northwestern State University, and her DNP from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).
Since being selected for the second cohort of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN)/Synova Associates Emerging Leader Fellowship in 2018, Dr. Harris has presented at NANN annual conferences as both a podium and poster presenter, been a conference symposium planning committee member, served as volunteer faculty for the UTHSC College of Nursing, and performed as a manuscript reviewer for Advances of Neonatal Care. In addition, she is currently serving as editor of the NANN E-News bi-monthly newsletter and serves on the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners Council.
Dr. Valerie Miller is a clinical associate professor of nursing at UT Tyler and the family nurse practitioner (FNP) program coordinator. She is board-certified as a family nurse practitioner and has over 13 years of experience in both family practice and endocrinology. She has been a nurse educator since 2006, teaching in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs.
Dr. Miller has a passion for her students and for developing leadership in nurses. Her doctoral dissertation focused on motivation and self-efficacy for leadership in undergraduate nursing students.
Dr. Van Gip-Duran is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Utah College of Nursing. She is also a nurse practitioner at the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake City and her college’s Neurology Cognitive Disorders Clinic. She earned both her BSN and DNP from the University of Utah.
Dr. Gip-Duran has worked full-time in the operating room as an RN and part-time in a juvenile justice services setting as an NP. She also participated in a humanitarian effort as part of a medical team providing healthcare in rural Timo, Haiti. She is an active member of the Utah Nurse Practitioners and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
Vicky Byrd, MSN is the chief executive officer of the Montana Nurses Association (MNA) and has been a registered nurse since 1989. She started her career as a certified pediatric nurse and, in 2002, moved forward with her professional development and became a certified oncology nurse.
Byrd practiced as an oncology nurse until 2014, then transitioned to her nurse leadership role as CEO for MNA. At the national level, she leads the MNA members with their affiliation with the American Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and American Federation of Teachers-Nurses and Health Professionals. In April 2019, she obtained her master of science in nursing, with a program study in nursing leadership and management.
Wendy Stoelting-Gettelfinger, PhD, JD
Dr. Wendy Stoelting-Gettelfinger is an associate professor and the graduate clinical program director for the University of Indianapolis School of Nursing. She also serves as the family nurse practitioner track coordinator. She graduated from Indiana University Bloomington Law School in 1993 and earned her PhD in nursing from Indiana University in 1999. She is dual certified as a family nurse practitioner with over 13 years of experience in family practice and is also certified as an adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. She has over nine years of experience as an acute care nurse practitioner and maintains a current practice as a hospitalist nurse practitioner at Indiana Internal Medicine Consultants.
Dr. Stoelting-Gettelfinger has worked as an attorney, assistant commissioner at the Indiana State Department of Health, and has been a nursing professor since 1995. She has taught at the University of Indianapolis since 2011. She enjoys spending time with her family and twin children. Her daughter is currently in her residency at the University of Cincinnati, and her son is completing medical school at Indiana University.
Meet the Team
Seth Restaino
Co-Founder, Sechel Ventures Seth Restaino has devoted the past 20 years of his professional career to building websites for prospective undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing healthcare careers. Seth runs production and engineering for Sechel Ventures, which he co-owns with Barry.
Barry Franklin
Co-Founder, Sechel VenturesBefore co-founding Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, Barry Franklin was a VP at a Silicon Valley software company. He is an investor and advisor for DataSimply and Impellia. Barry believes that education and lifelong learning are paramount. Barry met his wife at Carnegie Mellon University and they have two beautiful daughters. He also volunteers for various committees at his kids’ high school.
Jocelyn Blore
Writer, Editor, Chief Content StrategistJocelyn Blore is the chief content officer of Sechel Ventures and the co-author of the Women Breaking Barriers series. She has interviewed dozens of nurse practitioners and professors on state practice authority laws and other professional advocacy issues in the community. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley and traveled the world for five years. She’s interested in how culture shapes the idea of human progress and healthcare systems within societies—one of the many themes she writes about in her blog, Blore’s Razor (Instagram: @bloresrazor). She has served as managing editor for several healthcare websites since 2015.
Becca Brewer, MEd
WriterBecca Brewer is building a better future on a thriving earth by healing herself into wholeness, divesting from separation, and walking the path of the loving heart. Previously to her journey as an adventurer for a just, meaningful, and regenerative world, Becca was a formally trained sexuality educator with a master of education.
Bernd Geels
WriterBernd Geels is a Berlin, Germany-based freelance writer and artist. He holds an undergraduate degree in atmospheric science and two graduate degrees. He completed his most recent graduate degree in international environmental studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 2011. He is interested in healthcare, climate change, marine conservation, indigenous science, and refugee issues. You can reach him directly at [email protected].
Bree Nicolello
WriterBree Nicolello is an urban planner and freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. She has worked on land use and housing policy issues throughout the Pacific Northwest. She previously led Run Oregon Run, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Oregonians run for office and apply to boards and commissions. When not writing, she is lovingly tending to her cast iron pans.
Celeste Williams, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
Writer & Contributing ExpertCeleste Williams is a family nurse practitioner and alumna of Southern Nazarene University and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Celeste is passionate about healthcare policy, especially its effects on rural and other underserved communities. She believes more nurses belong in all levels of government and places where decisions are made. She is active in her community through her professional organizations, local political organizations, Rotary, and her church. She lives in NW Arkansas with her husband, four children, two cats, a dog, chickens, ducks, turkeys, peacocks, and a bearded dragon.
Cevia Yellin
WriterCevia Yellin is a freelance writer based in Eugene, Oregon. She studied English and French literature as an undergraduate. After serving two years as an AmeriCorps volunteer, she earned her master of arts in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Cevia’s travels and experiences working with students of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds have contributed to her interest in the forces that shape identity. She grew up on the edge of Philadelphia, where her mom still lives in her childhood home.
Douglas Mark
WriterWhile a partner in a San Francisco marketing and design firm, for over 20 years, Douglas Mark wrote online and print content for the world’s biggest brands, including United Airlines, Union Bank, Ziff Davis, Sebastiani and AT&T. Since his first magazine article appeared in MacUser in 1995, he’s also written on finance and graduate business education in addition to mobile online devices, apps, and technology. Doug graduated in the top one percent of his class with a business administration degree from the University of Illinois and studied computer science at Stanford University.
Farheen Gani
WriterFarheen Gani is a freelance writer, marketer, and researcher. She writes about technology, education, and marketing. Her work has appeared on websites such as Tech in Asia and Foundr, as well as top SaaS blogs such as Zapier and InVision. You can connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter (@FarheenGani).
Kenneth Parker
WriterKenneth Parker is a feature writer, poet, and musician living in the Pacific Northwest. His writing on remote work, education, and technology has been published by BustedCubicle.com, MedicalTechnologySchools.com, and other websites. His poetry, short fiction, and album reviews have appeared in Scifaikuest, Nanoism, and No Clean Singing. His background includes time spent as an associate editor, proofreader, private grammar instructor, freelance content editor, medical claims agent, and SEO consultant. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon, where he studied literature and worked as a composition tutor.
Kimmy Gustafson
WriterAmong her many diverse writing endeavors, Kimmy Gustafson has also lent her expertise to NPSchools.com since 2020, providing insightful and engaging content about the significant role of education in shaping our future generations of nurse practitioners. Many of her pieces include interviewing experts on timely topics such as healthcare workplace violence and moral distress.
Kimmy has been a freelance writer for more than a decade, writing hundreds of articles on a wide variety of topics such as startups, nonprofits, healthcare, kiteboarding, the outdoors, and higher education. She is passionate about seeing the world and has traveled to over 27 countries. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. When not working, she can be found outdoors, parenting, kiteboarding, or cooking.
Matt Zbrog
WriterMatt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California, and he believes nurse practitioners (NP) are an indispensable component of America’s current and future healthcare workforce. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about the work and advocacy of NPs, with a particular focus on the rapid growth of specialization programs, residencies, fellowships, and professional organizations. As part of an ongoing series on state practice authority, he’s worked with NP leaders, educators, and advocates from across the country to elevate policy discussions that empower NPs. His articles have featured interviews with the leadership of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), and many other professional nursing associations.
Melissa DeCapua, DNP
Writer Dr. Melissa DeCapua is a nurse practitioner working at Microsoft on organizational behavior and culture change. She began her career in psychiatry and fine arts, and these skills fuel her passion for user experience (UX): building programs, conducting qualitative research, and designing services. By night, she continues to advocate for nurses through lobbying efforts, blogging, and volunteering. For more about Melissa, check out her website and follow her on LinkedIn.
Nina Chamlou
WriterNina Chamlou is an avid writer and multimedia content creator from Portland, OR. She writes about aviation, travel, business, technology, healthcare, and education. You can find her floating around the Pacific Northwest in diners and coffee shops, studying the locale from behind her MacBook.
Rachel Drummond, MEd
WriterOn NPschools.com, Rachel Drummond has leveraged her extensive background in education and mindfulness to provide valuable insights to nursing professionals since 2020. She explores how mindfulness and movement can be incorporated into the demanding routines of nurses, emphasizing the importance of mental and physical well-being for increased resilience and effectiveness in the challenging field of nursing.
Rachel is a writer, educator, and coach from Oregon. She has a master’s degree in education (MEd) and has over 15 years of experience teaching English, public speaking, and mindfulness to international audiences in the United States, Japan, and Spain. She writes about the mind-body benefits of contemplative movement practices like yoga on her blog, inviting people to prioritize their unique version of well-being and empowering everyone to live healthier and more balanced lives.
Sara Navratil
WriterSara Navratil is a freelance writer and a Certified Canfield Success Principles Trainer. She’s the owner of Sara Liza Life, a company dedicated to helping people rewrite their lives. She enjoys researching and writing about healthcare-related topics, including information on online NP programs. When not working she likes to read, bake, and spend time with her family.
Sophia Khawly, MSN
WriterSophia Khawly is a traveling nurse practitioner from Miami, Florida. She has been a nurse for 14 years and has worked in nine different states. She likes to travel in her spare time and has visited over 40 countries.
Being a traveling nurse practitioner allows her to combine her love of learning, travel, and serving others. Learn more about Sophia at www.travelingNP.com.