Academic Nursing Moving Forward in a Post COVID-19 World

Tener Goodwin Veenema, PhD, MPH, MS, is a Contributing Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a Professor of Nursing and Public Health in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. At the Center, she conducts, manages, and leads research projects to explore health systems optimization and healthcare worker protection during disasters and large-scale biological events. She also serves as an Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed journal Health Security (formerly Biosecurity and Bioterrorism). Dr. Veenema’s program of research focuses upon informing evidence-based policy related to health care systems and public health response for catastrophic events such as pandemics and radiation/nuclear disasters. She has conducted national workforce analyses evaluating emergency healthcare worker readiness and health systems coordination for disaster response in Ireland, Japan and the United States. Dr. Veenema is currently conducting studies addressing the use of personal protective equipment and the mental health burden on emergency healthcare providers during COVID-19. She is editor of Disaster Nursing and Emergency Preparedness for Chemical, Biological and Radiological Terrorism and Other Hazards, 4th Ed., the leading textbook in the field and developer of Disaster Nursing, a digital technology application (“App”) to provide decision support during disasters at the point of care. Dr. Veenema was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal of Honor (International Red Crescent, 2013) the highest international award in Nursing for her professional service in disasters and public health emergencies. Dr. Veenema served as the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) 2017-18 Distinguished Nurse Scholar-in-Residence.

Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in June 2014. Formerly the Executive Director of the Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Trautman has held clinical and administrative leadership positions at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. She also served as the Vice President of Patient Care Services for Howard County General Hospital and as Director of Nursing for Emergency Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has held a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Dr. Susan Bakewell-Sachs is a nationally recognized scholar and clinical expert in the care of prematurely born infants, as well as a distinguished leader in academic nursing. Prior to assuming her current role at OHSU in 2013, she served as nursing faculty at the University of Pennsylvania; program director, professor and dean at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) School of Nursing, Health & Exercise Science; and Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at TCNJ. A strong nurse advocate, she was the director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) New Jersey Nursing Initiative, chair of the New Jersey Association of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs, member of the March of Dimes National Nursing Advisory Council, and on the steering committee of the Oregon Action Coalition. Dr. Bakewell-Sachs was an RWJF Executive Nurse Fellow, Cohort 2007, where her leadership development project focused on strategic effectiveness and nursing education.

Lisa Rowen, DNSc, RN, CENP, FAAN, the Chief Nurse Executive for the University of Maryland Medical System, a 14-hospital health system, serves as the System’s leader for nursing practice, standards of care, nursing professional development, and the partnership with the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She also has served since 2007 as the Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center and oversees 5500 nurses, advanced practice nurses, and other health professionals. Before coming to UMMC, Dr. Rowen served as Director of Surgical Nursing at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she began her career as a surgical nurse, and Vice President for Patient Care Services at Mercy Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and served as the co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Academy.

Dr. Rowen has published more than 75 articles on patient safety, teamwork and communication, health-related issues, and best practice standards. She has served as an editor-in-chief of a surgical nursing journal and is a peer reviewer for several other journals. Dr. Rowen has twice served as an expert reviewer of the NIH’s Clinical Center and serves on The Joint Commission’s Chief Nursing Executive Advisory Council. As the principal investigator for an American Organization of Nurse Executives funded study, Dr. Rowen studied and now presents frequently on leadership development and patient outcomes. She is a Professor, adjunct, at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) and also holds faculty appointments at the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Rowen earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the University of Delaware, a Master of Science degree at UMSON, and a Doctor of Nursing Science degree at Johns Hopkins University. She was inducted into the University of Delaware Wall of Fame and was selected as the Giving Excellence Meaning winner for “Advancing and Leading the Profession” for the Maryland-DC-Virginia region from Nurse.com. Dr. Rowen was inducted into the Circle of Excellence of Maryland’s Top 100 Women, after inclusion on the Maryland’s Top 100 Women lists in 2009, 2011, and 2013. UMSON selected Dr. Rowen as an inagural recipient of the Visionary Pioneer Award, an award for outstanding alumni who have significantly impacted and contributed to the nursing profession based on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. In 2017, the University of Maryland Medical Sysem created an endowed scholarship to honor Dr. Rowen. In 2019, the University of Delaware honored Dr. Rowen with an Alumni Star Award.