On-Demand Webinars

Speakers

Carol J. Howe, PhD, RN, CDCES, FAAN
Associate and Parker Endowed Professor
Texas Christian University

Dr. Carol Howe is an Associate and the Paula R. and Ronald C. Parker Endowed Professor of Nursing in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Her research focuses on the health literacy skills of patients, clinicians, and hospital systems to drive improved patient outcomes. Her focus is on implementation research and quality improvement to increase clinician uptake of health literacy practices to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Howe is currently a principal investigator, collaborating with colleagues at Children’s Health, on three studies using implementation science frameworks and strategies to implement clinician health literacy practices in pediatric ambulatory clinics. Dr. Howe has received honors for her efforts, including the Big 12 Faculty of the Year, the Leadership Award from the American Diabetes Association, the Excellence in Education Award from the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society, the Penn Nursing Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence and Dr. Howe is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
 

Lindsey Patton, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC
Sr. Director Nursing Excellence, Research and Innovation  
Children’s Health System of Texas

Dr. Lindsey Patton leads strategic initiatives that elevate nursing practice, advance research, and foster innovation across Children’s Health. As Senior Director of Nursing Excellence, Research and Innovation, she has been instrumental in shaping a culture of inquiry and evidence-based care. Her leadership has driven the development of a robust academic partnership with Texas Christian University (TCU), expanding opportunities for collaborative research, professional development, and clinical scholarship. 
 

Danielle Walker, RN, PhD, CNE
Associate and Parker Endowed Professor    
Texas Christian University

Dr. Danielle Walker is an Associate Professor in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University. A learning scientist focused on nursing education, Dr. Walker’s research centers on improving the quality of teaching and evaluation through evidence-based practices. Her expertise in psychometrics supports the development and validation of reliable instruments across diverse educational and clinical settings. She has been recognized for her contributions to nursing education research with awards such as the 2020 QSEN Researcher of the Year and the Generating Evidence for Nursing Education Practice Award at the Nursing Education Research Conference.  
 

Tammy Webb, PhD, RN, NE-BC  
Chief Nurse Executive  
Children’s Health System of Texas

President
California Association of Colleges of Nursing

Precision Health & Genomics Work Group Co-Chair
American Nurses Association

Dr. Tammy Webb leads nursing strategy and drives clinical excellence in a large children’s hospital system, while fostering a culture of patient- and family-centered care and nursing excellence. She has led multiple ANCC Magnet designations and pioneered both new and evolving professional nursing governance structures empowering nurses through accountability, autonomy and authority.    

She is responsible for executing strategies aimed at achieving high reliability, advancing quality and patient safety and performance improvement culture. She has published numerous articles in prominent nursing journals and conducted significant research on the role of pediatric nursing.?She serves in multiple local, regional and national professional nursing and healthcare organizations advancing and promoting the i mpact of nurse leaders.

Speakers

Nancy Edwards, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, FAANP
Professor Emerita
Purdue University

Dr. Nancy Edwards is an associate professor of nursing. Edwards is also Director of the Purdue Primary Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program. She is known for her research into non-chemical ways to improve quality of life for those with all forms of dementia, their loved ones and caregivers, and their communities at large. She has studied the effects of animal-assisted therapy, including robotic dogs, and chair-based exercise therapy for patients, as well as the differing needs of family caregivers based on the challenges posed by various kinds of dementia. As a faculty member and clinical preceptor, she has guided the education of 89 nurse practitioner students and served as chair for 42 master's students as well as 21 students seeking their doctor of nursing practice degrees.

Jennifer Coddington, DNP, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC

Assistant Dean of Online, Professional and Clinical Education, Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Graduate Program
Purdue University  

Medical Director, Director of Practice and Outreach
Central Nursing Clinics  

Dr. Jennifer Coddington is Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program, Director of Practice and Outreach, and Medical Director of North Central Nursing Clinics for the School of Nursing, and HHS Assistant Dean of Clinical Practice, Professional and Online Education. She has over 35 years of experience in pediatrics and currently practices part-time as a CPNP-PC in primary care. Dr. Coddington’s research focuses on quality outcomes of nurse-managed health systems. She implements and evaluates unique models of care that address current challenges in healthcare delivery in the United States including: increasing access to health care for vulnerable populations, innovating rural health care, removing barriers for practice for Advanced Practice Nurses, and improving pediatric health.

Speakers

Wanda Thruston, DNP, APRN, RN 
Director of Access and Engagement 
American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Dr. Wanda Thruston, Director of Access and Engagement at AACN, is a national and international leader in academic nursing and advancing fair and just access to health and well-being for all, with expertise in institutional transformation, leadership development, and systems-level strategy. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Fellow, she brings decades of experience in clinical practice with under-resourced populations, health policy, and academic leadership.

At AACN, Dr. Thruston led the development and implementation of the Ecosystem of Excellence in Academic Nursing, a strategic framework designed to enhance institutional effectiveness and promote the success of students, staff, and faculty. She provides technical assistance, training, and consultation to AACN member and non-member institutions—supporting strategies to expand access, strengthen student achievement, improve the institutional climate, and build academic environments where all individuals feel supported and prepared to succeed.

Previously, she served as Special Assistant to the Dean at Indiana University School of Nursing, where she led the development of the Diversity Strategic Plan and participated in creating a university-wide pathway for DEI faculty promotion She also led a large-scale assessment of health and well-being for Indiana’s second-largest K–12 district to inform fair and effective resource allocation that meets the needs of all students. Dr. Thruston is committed to advancing environments where students, staff, and faculty thrive. She is a fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars and the American Academy of Nursing (Oct. 2025).

Speakers

Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN
Contributing Editor, JAMA Health Forum; Editor-in-Chief Emerita
American Journal of Nursing

Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy is a contributing editor for JAMA Health Forum and Editor-in-Chief Emerita of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), stepping down after 12 years at the helm and after 15 years in other journal roles. As AJN news director, Shawn was a visiting nurse scholar at the WHO Office of Nursing and Midwifery in 2009-2010. As AJN editor-in-chief, she led award-winning projects and series that have increased nurses’ awareness of important professional and social justice issues, enhanced curriculum, and provided evidence for policy change. Shawn guided AJN's innovative digital and social media strategy, positioning AJN as a leader among nursing and medical journals. Her work in advancing standards for nursing publications was recognized in 2016 by the International Academy of Nursing Editors with the Margaret Comerford Freda Award for Editorial Leadership and in 2017, she was awarded The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health Advocacy in Action Award for excellence in promoting nursing scholarship. Author of several book chapters and numerous articles in AJN and other journals, her editorials in AJN have received six Clarion awards from the Association of Women in Communications. She currently serves as a trustee of the Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association and of New Jersey’s Valley Hospital System and is on the national advisory board of R3-Resilient Nurse Initiative Maryland at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She presents internationally on scholarly publishing issues, authorship ethics, and writing, with the goal of getting ALL nurses to tell their stories.

Speaker

Emily Helbick, DNP, RN, CCRN
Vice President of Network Operations
Palm Beach Accountable Care Organization

Dr. Emily Helbick is a Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared nurse leader with 15 years of experience spanning critical care, public health operations, and value-based healthcare strategy. She spent a decade at the bedside in adult intensive care before transitioning in 2021 to Florida’s emergency management response, where she led statewide nursing operations for COVID-19 vaccine administration.

She currently serves as Vice President of Network Operations for a Florida-based national Accountable Care Organization (ACO), where she leads strategic network operations, performance improvement, and population health initiatives. During her tenure, she developed and implemented a predictive analytics and machine-learning program to proactively manage advanced care populations, an experience that catalyzed her focused work at the intersection of nursing leadership and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Helbick earned her DNP in Leadership from Jacksonville University in 2024 and now serves as adjunct faculty for DNP students. She also sits on the university’s AI Task Force, contributing to curriculum development and the ethical integration of artificial intelligence in nursing education. She has completed advanced coursework and certifications in AI in healthcare through Stanford Online and the American Board of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

She is passionate about ensuring nurses are not passive recipients of technology, but informed leaders in its design, governance, and implementation. Dr. Helbick advocates for AI literacy in nursing education and believes that when nurses are equipped with both systems thinking and technological fluency, they are uniquely positioned to shape the future of healthcare.