Susan Hassmiller is currently serving as the Senior Scholar-In-Residence and Senior Adviser to the President on Nursing at the National Academy of Medicine from January 2019 through August 2021. In this role, she is serving as a key member of the leadership team for the Future of Nursing 2030 report. She is also the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Senior Adviser for Nursing, and in partnership with AARP, Hassmiller also directs the Foundation’s Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action. This 50-state and District of Columbia effort strives to implement the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s report on The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health and will additionally seek to build a Culture of Health. Hassmiller served as the report’s study director.

Hassmiller’s work has included service in public health settings at the local, state and national levels, including HRSA. She taught community health nursing at the University of Nebraska and George Mason University in Virginia.

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.

Susan Swider is a Professor in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing at Rush University in Chicago. Dr. Swider has practiced in acute care, home health care and public health settings over the past thirty years. Her research has focused on program development and evaluation of community health workers, engaging urban communities in health promotion, and health policy to support health promotion efforts. She has taught public health nursing at the pre-licensure and graduate/specialty level at several universities, and co-directed 10 years of HRSA supported work to develop an online doctoral program in Advanced Public Health Nursing, ensuring that it met the Quad Council competencies for Public Health Nursing practice. She is a member of a number of public health and public health nursing organizations and is a past president of the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE). In her role with ACHNE, she served on the Quad Council for Public Health Nursing organizations and was a member of the Task Force that revised the Competencies for Public Health Nursing (2010-2012). In 2011, Dr. Swider was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health, a group designed to advise on the development and implementation of the National Prevention Strategy. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. In 2016, she was appointed to serve on the Community Preventive Services Task Force of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Michelle Heyland is a board certification psychiatric & mental health nurse practitioner with 8 years of experience as a nurse practitioner and 13 years as a nurse working in mental health overall. She has worked in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings, currently working at a community mental health center and operating her own private practice. She is also director of the PMHNP program at Rush University College of Nursing and an Associate Professor. Her area of scholarship is emergency department diversion of people in mental health crisis. She has worked extensively with the Living Room model, which provides a community based crisis respite center for people experiencing psychiatric emergencies.

Elizabeth A. Loomis is an Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University, School of Nursing and a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Loomis received her DNP at Rush University in Transformative Leadership: Population Health. In addition to teaching full time, Dr. Loomis practices part-time in an OB/GYN office. Her clinical interests include safe opioid prescribing, and the primary care of women, specifically working with adolescents and young adults regarding safe sex practices and STD prevention.

Dr. Mary Ann Siciliano McLaughlin has been the ABSN Program Director and an Assistant Professor of Nursing in the Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions since August of 2017. Dr. McLaughlin earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree from the University of Pennsylvania; her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Degree in Adult Health and Illness, Cardiopulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist, from the University of Pennsylvania; and her Doctorate in Education, in Nursing Leadership and Organization, from Teachers College at Columbia University.

Dr. McLaughlin is a member of the Xi, Alpha Zeta, and Iotta Kappa chapters of Sigma Theta Tau, the National Honor Society for Nurses; the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN); the AACN Faculty Leadership Network; the National League for Nursing (NLN); the American Nurses Association (ANA); the New Jersey State Nurses Association; and the Nursing Education Alumni Association (NEAA) of Teachers College at Columbia University.

Dr. McLaughlin’s areas of experience and expertise include: cardiac nursing, medical surgical nursing, education, publishing, NCLEX, disease management, telehealth, nursing management, professionalism, leadership, and ethics.

Dr. McLaughlin’s scholarship interests include publications and presentations related to cardiac nursing, medical surgical nursing, NCLEX, professionalism, and ethics. The main focus of her scholarship now revolves around ethical practice in nursing. She has had opportunities to present locally, nationally, and internationally relating to her scholarship on ethics and her model, the Siciliano-McLaughlin Model of Ethics.

Dr. Tyshaneka Saffold is an Assistant Professor at the Rutgers University School of Nursing-Camden. Dr. Saffold is an advocate who is passionate about improving the health of those in underserved populations. Her core values shape her philosophy of nursing: everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and compassion regardless of race or socioeconomic status. Her service relates closely to her commitment to ensure fair and equitable service to all regardless of their income level. Dr. Saffold volunteers both locally and internationally, providing free health and education services to community members.

Dr. Saffold's program of research is health disparities in urban populations; prevention of both social and racial injustice; impact of poverty on health; and improving the health of vulnerable populations. Dr. Saffold has been a nurse for 18 years, with clinical expertise in the areas of cardiac care, community health, nursing education, geriatrics, and leadership. Currently, her research centers on social determinants of health; particularly health disparities, social injustice, racial injustice, and inequalities in healthcare.

Dr. Shelley Johnson holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nursing, and a doctorate in educational leadership. She also completed certificate programs from Harvard University in educational leadership and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and a Community Participatory Research Fellowship at University of Pennsylvania. She is dedicated to lifelong learning and was graduated from Northwestern University’s, Kellogg School of Management’s Executive MBA program. Dr. Johnson lives servant leadership. She serves as subject matter expert and participates in research related to healthy educational environments, health disparities, cultural diversity, advocacy, leadership, and nursing education.

Dr. Alejandro is the Interim Assistant Director for the ADN and RN-to-BSN Programs and Assistant Professor at Mount St. Mary’s University - Los Angeles. Jose currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserve and will complete his Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program in June.

As a bilingual, Hispanic male, Dr. Alejandro has first-hand experience of the need to improve diversity in the nursing profession. He has devoted his professional career to being a servant leader with a passion to develop strategies and pathways that improve diversity in nursing pedagogy and evidenced-based clinical and pedagogical practice. He has extensive experience in working and collaborating with at-risk populations.

In addition to Sigma Treasurer (2019-2023), he is active in other professional associations which include serving as Immediate Past President (2020-2021) of the Case Management Society of America (CMSA), Board Member (2019-2021) for the American Academy of Nursing and (appointed) American Association of Men in Nursing (AAMN). Dr. Alejandro also served as the 15th President (2012-2014) of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

He was awarded the CMSA’s Case Manager of the Year in 2015 and the AAMN Luther Christman Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Dr. Alejandro is a Sigma and Virginia Henderson Fellow of Sigma; Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing; and Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Dr. Lovoria B. Williams is an associate professor in the College of Nursing and Graduate Studies. She is the Director of the Community Health Advocacy iNterventions Generating Equity (CHANGE) Team and the Assistant Director for Cancer Health Equity at the NCI-designated Markey Cancer Center where she holds the endowed Research Professorship in Cancer Health Equity. Dr. Williams received her undergraduate degrees in nursing from Union University and the Medical College of Georgia. She earned a Master’s of Nursing [Family Nurse Practitioner] from Georgia Southern University and a PhD in Nursing with Distinction from Georgia Regents University. Her research aims to advance health equity among racial/ethnic minority and medically underserved populations through community engaged research methods to affect improved diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer outcomes. She is an NIH-funded nurse scientist who is nationally-recognized for developing culturally-adapted interventions for implementation by community health workers in church settings. A strong advocate for diversity, inclusivity and equity, Dr. Williams served the Lexington Mayor as Co-Chair of the Health Disparities Subcommittee on the Mayor’s Commission on Racial Justice & Equality. She also serves on the University of Kentucky UNITed in Racial Equity (UNITE) Research Priority Area Internal Advisory Board and on the Kentucky Nurses Action Coalition (KNAC) External Advisory Committee. She is a member of multiple professional organizations such as the American Nurses Association, the Southern Nursing Research Society where she serves on the Board of Directors and she is President of the Lexington KY Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association.

Dr. Regina S. Eddie is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Northern Arizona University. She is an enrolled tribal member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation of Arizona. Dr. Eddie received her PhD from the University of New Mexico and is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nursing and Health Policy Collaborative fellow. Her nursing background and experience has primarily been in areas of community heath and public health nursing in rural, underserved American Indian communities. As a Diné nurse researcher, Dr. Eddie’s research focuses on American Indian health disparities, school health and wellness policies and practices, and tribal health policy research.

As an educator, she is committed to increasing recruitment and retention of Native American youth into health careers. Dr. Eddie coordinates a ‘Health Profession’ campus visit day for Native American youth from rural remote reservation schools with the goal to increase preparation and interest among Native American youth in the health professions. She also facilitates public health nursing practicums in AI reservation communities for hands-on experiences in working with AI populations, while helping to serve the health needs of rural medically underserved areas, particularly in Navajo communities.

Susan Swider is a Professor in the Department of Community, Systems and Mental Health Nursing at Rush University in Chicago. Dr. Swider has practiced in acute care, home health care and public health settings over the past thirty years. Her research has focused on program development and evaluation of community health workers, engaging urban communities in health promotion, and health policy to support health promotion efforts. She has taught public health nursing at the pre-licensure and graduate/specialty level at several universities, and co-directed 10 years of HRSA supported work to develop an online doctoral program in Advanced Public Health Nursing, ensuring that it met the Quad Council competencies for Public Health Nursing practice. She is a member of a number of public health and public health nursing organizations and is a past president of the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators (ACHNE). In her role with ACHNE, she served on the Quad Council for Public Health Nursing organizations and was a member of the Task Force that revised the Competencies for Public Health Nursing (2010-2012). In 2011, Dr. Swider was appointed by President Obama to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion and Integrative and Public Health, a group designed to advise on the development and implementation of the National Prevention Strategy. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago. In 2016, she was appointed to serve on the Community Preventive Services Task Force of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Pamela Guthman is an assistant professor at UW-Eau Claire, College of Nursing and Health Sciences. She also has taught the Rural Immersion Nursing Program in the summer for UW-Madison, School of Nursing in rural, northwestern Wisconsin. She has spent her career practicing rural community and public health nursing with a focus on the determinants of health, health equity, poverty, and population health. Dr. Guthman has previous administrative experience with a rural community action agency providing programming aimed at the social determinants of health including domestic violence prevention, youth and mental health prevention initiatives, food pantries, transportation, early childhood education, housing, business development, home health and personal care services. She has experience as an education practice liaison for the Linking Education and Practice for the Excellence in Public Health Nursing (LEAP) project from 2007-2012. She has served on the Wisconsin Center for Nursing’s Board as Secretary, is a Board of Director for Forward Community Investment, and for Workforce Resource, is Vice-Chair of the Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action (WHPCA), has served on the Advisory Committee on Healthy Aging in Rural Towns, and is member of Association of Community Health Nurse Educators, Wisconsin Public Health Association, and American Public Health Association - Public Health Nurse Sections, to provide leadership and support innovative collaborative initiatives aimed at prevention, health equity and population health nursing. She holds AACN board certification in home health nursing, was the 2016 recipient of the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association President’s Award and the Wisconsin Nurses Association Community Service Award. Dr. Guthman was awarded the Dr. Brenda Pfaehler Award in 2017 through UW-Madison's Center for Educational Opportunity. In May 2017, she received the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award for care, skills, and compassion. In August 2018, the Rita Kisting Sparks Faculty Service Award for exemplary service and leadership was awarded through UW-Eau Claire, College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Kaitlyn Moore, BSN, RN is a current DNP student at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire, College of Nursing and Health Services. She attended UW- Eau Claire for her undergraduate program and graduated in May 2017. Since graduating, her career has been spent working with the geriatric and underserved populations. Her current role is a RN Care Coordinator working with the Medicaid population in Minnesota. Kaitlyn's previous work experience includes working as a director of nursing at a 75-apartment assisted living facility. She has spent her first year of the DNP program working as a graduate assistant conducting research on breast cancer, virtual clinical experiences, and academic­ practice linkages within the population health education. She is currently a member of the Wisconsin and American Nurses Associations and the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators.

Laura Wieloch is the Executive Director of Ambulatory Care Management at AdvocateAurora Health Care (AAH). She has been a nurse for over 30 years. Laura has served in various healthcare leadership roles over the past 15 years specifically in Population Health, Care Management, Quality, Home Health and Nursing Education. Currently, as part of the Enterprise Population Health/Integrated Care Management service line at AAH, she is responsible for advancing the strategy of Ambulatory Care Management, partnering with hospital, operational, physician, and executive leaders to execute seamless care across the continuum. In the past 7 years, Laura has developed and implemented care coordination/management services and has grown a successful, adaptive team of clinicians who consistently deliver top tier performance in quality and patient engagement and are deployed strategically across the health system to advance population health and value-based care initiatives. In the past year, Laura has led the advancement and implementation of technology solutions in Enterprise Population Health related to COVID-19 care and Heart Failure Remote Monitoring Programs. She is responsible for the RN Care Management team in primary care, Care Transitions Program for Inpatient and ED discharges, Social Work and Behavioral Health Care Navigation, and Community Based Case Management.

Rose Hoffmann has been on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing since 1995 and currently an associate professor. Since 2008, she has been the program coordinator for the Clinical Nurse Leader area of concentration leading to an MSN. She is also the Online Program Coordinator and MSN Program Director for the School of Nursing. She has been a lead faculty member for online programs and courses within the School of Nursing and the University. She is a guest speaker for the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs on a variety of topics including education, mentoring, and leadership/management strategies. As a primary teacher for graduate students she coordinates clinical precepted experiences throughout Western PA and the United States. This includes orientation, follow up and evaluation for both the student and preceptor. She has lectured locally, nationally, and internationally on a variety of teaching strategies that incorporate active learning. Currently she advises graduate students in addition to serving as capstone chair for many DNP students. In 2007, she received the Distinguished Clinical Scholar’s award to incorporate interprofessional healthcare education within the School of Nursing and in 2016 received the Cameo of Caring Nurse Educator Award. She is the nursing school's representative within Pitt's schools of the health sciences to incorporate interprofessional healthcare education. As a result of the success of the Model A CNL program Pitt is also creating a Model C MSN Entry into Practice Program which will take effect within the next year.

Latasha Kast, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNL, is an Advanced Clinical Education Specialist for Critical Care at UPMC Passavant. Latasha provides on-boarding, education, mentorship, and leadership support to nurses in her role as an Advanced Clinical Education Specialist for Critical Care. She previously worked in progressive clinical and leadership positions within Trauma/Vascular Step-Down, Surgical Trauma ICU, and Neurovascular ICU. Additionally, she serves on the CNL Advisory Board at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Ms. Kast was selected for this award for her commitment to nursing practice by leading and developing several quality improvement projects to improve patient outcomes, including hair washing to reduce surgical site infections in neurosurgical patients.

Amanda Truesdale currently serves as a Clinical Nurse Leader and the unit educator for the medical-surgical COVID unit at Atrium Health at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC. She started her nursing career on a dialysis medical-surgical unit in Columbia, SC before transitioning to Charlotte. Since 2012, she has worked on the medical-surgical unit at CMC and has taken the opportunities provided by the system to advance into her current role. In 2015, she became the unit educator and obtained her Medical-Surgical Board Certification through ANCC. In 2016, she began the process of obtaining her Masters in Nursing from Queens University of Charlotte and graduated with her degree in 2018. Later that year, she officially became a certified Clinical Nurse Leader. Ever since, she has been serving in her current job title working closely with the interdisciplinary team to improve patient outcomes.

Preston Brown is passionate about improving patient outcomes through process innovation and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Preston received his Master of Science in Nursing from Texas Christian University and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Tarleton State University. Preston attained clinical nurse leader certification in 2017 and served as a clinical nurse leader at Texas Health Fort Worth. During his tenure at Texas Health Fort Worth, Preston was involved in the system wide expansion of the CNL role and successfully directed and collaborated with many multidisciplinary teams to improve patient metrics including the patient experience, length of stay, and infection rates. In March 2020, Preston joined Wise Health System in Decatur, Texas. At Wise Health System, Preston serves in a hybrid role of med surg nurse educator and clinical nurse leader. In his short time at Wise Health System, Preston successfully implemented processes that have drastically reduced med surg CAUTI rates. Preston believes in sharing best practices across the nursing continuum and has authored a journal article detailing the nursing experience and response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his spare time, Preston enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons, Asher and Jack.

Priya has a background in public health and nursing and has worked with several government programs and non-governmental organizations, including the United States Peace Corps in Togo and Partners in Health in Boston. She also spent two years supporting workforce and career development initiatives and HIV resource development within the CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. Priya is currently a Doctor of Nursing Practice Candidate at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

As the AACN-CDC Public Health Nursing Fellow, Priya works in CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases managing the design, distribution, and evaluation of project materials for the Immunization in Undergraduate Nursing Project. Which will be featured during this webinar.

Dr. Susan Brasher has an extensive pediatric background in both the inpatient setting as a pediatric Registered Nurse in a pediatric dedicated hospital and in the outpatient setting as a Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (CPNP). Additionally, she has several years of experience in teaching Pediatric Nursing to both undergraduate and graduate nursing students. She received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Florida with an emphasis on pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Aaron J. Michelfelder, M.D., FAAFP, FAAMA, grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and moved to Illinois to attend Northwestern University. He then attended the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and completed a family medicine residency at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois. In 2000, He joined the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Loyola University Medical Center as a faculty member. He later completed a fellowship in medical acupuncture and advanced training in medical hypnosis. Dr. Michelfelder currently serves as Loyola’s chair of family medicine and interim director of primary care, co-director for Loyola’s Institute for Transformative Interprofessional Education, and is a professor of family medicine, bioethics & health policy, and medical education. He also serves as the President-Elect for the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. His clinical practice includes general family medicine along with integrative medicine. His research interests are in practice transformation and the process of traveling from interprofessional education to collaborative practice. He is also interested in global health and has participated in 25 international medical and educational trips to 10 countries.

Dr. Frances Vlasses’ career spans 40 years in healthcare, academia, and administration. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, as well as one of the 100 Ohio State University College of Nursing, Alumni Transformers in Nursing and Healthcare.

Most recently, her focus has been studying innovation in the redesign of healthcare system infrastructure to improve patient outcomes. She has attracted grant money and led the implementation of an integrated, interprofessional, nurse-led team delivery model in Primary Care. In this project, the scope of the registered nurse leadership role was expanded, online education modules related to interdisciplinary and community culture were developed, and electronic documentation was created to capture quality and nursing outcomes and provide evidence for sustainability. This project has been recognized as a Nexus Innovation Network site by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration.

As the inaugural Co-Director of the Loyola Institute for Transformative Interprofessional Education, Dr. Vlasses has cultivated the additional interprofessional sphere of influence to develop policy on education and practice for health professional students and faculty on the development of high performing teams to enhance quality and safety. She has been invited to serve as a panelist and respondent to discuss nursing roles, interprofessional education, and teamwork for the AACME, LGME, the National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE), and the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC).

Lynn Nichols has been a nurse educator for nearly 30 years and has taught a wide variety of courses in both undergraduate and graduate programs. She is an advocate for RN-BSN education and serves as the Director of the National RN-BSN Faculty Forum, a professional organization for RN-BSN educators. Her clinical background is in pediatrics and women’s health, and she enjoys being involved with interprofessional education opportunities, such as poverty simulation and ethics activities.

Marilyn O’Mallon serves as Director of the online RN-BS Completion Program at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. She is passionate about hospice and palliative nursing, and works as a Faith Community Nurse in the Treasure Valley.

Jennifer “Kim” Penberthy, PhD, ABPP, is the Chester F. Carlson Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she conducts research, teaches, provides clinical care, and promotes clinician and learner wellbeing. Dr. Penberthy is the Associate Director for the UVA Clinician Wellbeing Program as well as a founding member of the Wisdom & Wellbeing Program that addresses both systems and individual occupational challenges in the healthcare setting. She is the Co-Director of the Effective Coping and Communication Skills for Clinicians Program, a national CME approved offering. She is a member of the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center, the UVA Academy of Distinguished Educators, the UVA Leadership in Academic Matters Program, and is a Fellow of Humanism in Medicine at the University of Virginia. Dr. Penberthy is also a member of the UVA Diversity Consortium and past chair of APA Division 12 Diversity Committee. She is a fellow in the APA Leadership Institute for Women in Psychology and currently serving on the advisory committee for the American Psychological Association Continuing Education Committee after being chair. She is an APA Council Representative for the Society of Clinical Psychology, past-president of the International Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) Society and a founding member of the CBASP Training Program. Dr. Penberthy has published extensively on clinician wellbeing and lectures nationally and internationally on psychotherapy with a focus on mindfulness-based interventions, and clinician and learner health and wellbeing.

Alice M. Teall is Director of Graduate Wellness Academic Programming, Director of Innovative Telehealth Services, and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at Ohio State University. She was a founding member of the College of Nursing’s team delivering distance education and served as Director of the online Family Nurse Practitioner program. She has published and presented nationally about innovation in online education, incorporation of health and wellness coaching techniques in clinical practice, and best practices for teaching telehealth competencies. In recognition of her contributions to advanced practice nursing education, Dr. Teall was honored with the Ohio State University Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and inducted into the Academy of Teaching.

Alice Teall has received leadership, alumni, and practice awards, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. As a certified Nurse Practitioner and an Integrative Nurse Coach, her areas of clinical practice expertise include adolescent health, primary care of at-risk youth and families, college health, and statewide quality improvement initiatives in primary care. In response to the pandemic and in collaboration with the Ohio State University Chief Wellness Officer, Dr. Teall implemented the Wellness Partner Program, which established an emotional support line for nurses working in COVID-19 hotspots, provides wellness assessments for university students across all campuses, and pairs graduate students with clinicians to provide wellness support and partnership.

Catherine L. Grus, PhD is the chief education officer at the American Psychological Association and has been on the staff of the APA since 2005. She was named deputy executive director, Education in 2010. In her role as chief education officer, she leads the association’s efforts to promote psychology in education and education in psychology. Grus has played a lead role in the association’s efforts related to advancing interprofessional education for psychology students, primary care psychology practice, development of models and tools for competency assessment, and supervision. She serves as APA’s representative to the National Academy of Medicine’s Global Forum on Innovations in Health Professions Education, the Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative and the Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions.

Before coming to APA, Grus was an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Miami School of Medicine where she served as the director of an APA accredited internship program. Grus is the recipient of many awards including the Paul Nelson Award, the Friend of the Association of Directors of Psychology Training Clinics and the Nova University Distinguished Alumni Achievement award. In 2016 she was inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a distinguished scholar and Fellow. Grus is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters on topics including competency-based education, supervision and professionalism.

Grus completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Nova University, with an internship in pediatric psychology at the University of Miami School of Medicine Mailman Center for Child Development and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

Lois Privor-Dumm is Senior Advisor, Policy, Advocacy & Communications and Director, Adult Vaccines, at the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC), Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). She is an expert on immunization across the life-course. She is currently advising a variety of institutions including the Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore City Health Department, and the World Health Organizations on decision making and implementation around influenza and COVID-19 vaccination. She works with a variety of stakeholders including governments, healthcare professionals, organizations working on health and social justice issues as well as with a network of pastors in Baltimore to help address hesitancy issues around healthcare and vaccines. She worked with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to contribute to the Interim Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Distribution in the United States and report on the Public’s role in COVID-19 Vaccination.

She joined JHSPH in 2005 and supported vaccine programs in more than 70 countries. Previously she worked in the pharmaceutical industry where introduced of a variety of vaccines including the first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. She holds a master of International Business Studies (University of South Carolina) and executive certificates in Innovation and Human-Centered Design and Business Communication from Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business.

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.

Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Colleen serves on the Case Western Reserve Alumni Board and many committees for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 26 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Leners was awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

As Government Affairs and Policy Assistant for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), Emily assists in policy and legislative initiatives pertaining to health policy and higher education issues that impact nursing schools. Prior to AACN, Emily was a United States Senate staffer, and focused on health care strategies and policy in fellowships with think tank and lobbying organizations.

Emily earned dual BA degrees in Public Relations and Policy with a focus on Economic Systems from Drake University.

Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Dr. Leners, alongside the staff at the Senate Finance Committee, managed the Medicare and Medicaid portfolios and worked on issues of veteran’s care in Senator Thune’s office. She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 25 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps, which after multiple deployments overseas was honorably discharged. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

Dr. Leners has served as the Traumatic Brain Injury Program manager, created a nurse-managed primary care clinic for Wounded Warriors at Navy Medical Center San Diego. She has also been a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for three decades. She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Aimee is a psychiatric and addictions nurse practitioner. Her background in nursing includes public health, mental health and addictions nursing. She is currently a senior instructor at the University of Colorado in the college of nursing and Denver Springs. She is a grant recipient from National Institute of Drug Abuse and American Association of Colleges of Nursing to educate nurses on opioid use disorders and medication assisted treatment. To date she has trained over 2,500 nurses nationwide as a part of her grant. Aimee’s clinical and research expertise include creating and implementing new evidence guidelines to low-barrier approaches to medication assisted treatment for substance use disorders in integrated care settings to reduce stigma and improve access to care. Aimee is also the clinical director for a $5 million legislative initiative to expand access to medication assisted treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in rural Colorado counties. Aimee’s work on the initiative included the creation and deployment of a state-wide medication assisted treatment for Opioid Use Disorder toolkit that facilitates provider ease in treating OUD. She is also currently the PI spearheading an integrated, multiyear, state-funded maternal/child SUD research project to reduce maternal mortality due to drug overdose and to improve infant-related health indictors. She continues to grow her research and expertise by pursuing her PhD by studying novel biomarkers in substance use disorder.

Brayden Kameg is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP-BC), and a certified addictions registered nurse (CARN). Primarily, her research and clinical interests include substance use disorders and addiction, with focused interest in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and opioid use management. She also has expertise in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their association with adult substance use disorders, and recently evaluated rates of ACEs and substance use disorders in a sample of nearly 700 undergraduate and graduate nursing students.

She was awarded funding through the AACN and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Mentored Training Program to develop and disseminate training materials regarding opioid use management. She worked with various professional nursing organizations to broadly disseminate these training materials, which included a three-webinar series, and then sought feedback in regards to barriers to and facilitators of opioid use management in clinical practice, particularly buprenorphine prescribing.

Yovan Gonzalez is a family nurse practitioner working as a primary care provider for the NYC Health + Hospitals system. At Gouverneur Health, Yovan has led efforts to integrate behavioral health into primary care by participating as a member of the Integrated Mental Health Services (IMHS) committee. Yovan was also the first nurse practitioner at Gouverneur to be waivered to prescribe buprenorphine. At the Roberto Clemente Center, he has focused on providing integrated care at a behavioral health facility whose clients are mainly Hispanic. He has also successfully integrated a buprenorphine clinic and screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) into routine clinical practice.

Yovan is originally from Lima, Peru. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his BSN and MSN. Yovan recently completed his Doctor in Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and his post-master’s psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) certificate at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. His DNP scholarly project focused on increasing nurses’ knowledge in the screening and management of substance use through an online SBIRT program. Yovan was a doctoral fellow of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Minority Fellowship Program and a finalist of the Don Quixote Award for the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatry in 2019. Yovan also has several publications based on his doctoral work.

Dr. Novak is a professor teaching online courses for the Aspen University’s School of Nursing programs. She teaches classes for all three of the program offerings: DNP, MSN, and RN-BSN. Dr. Novak is board certified in Nursing Professional Development and is a Fellow in the Academy of Emergency Nursing. She has over 30 years of experience in adult education and continuing professional development for healthcare professionals. Dr. Novak is also the President and CEO of AEN Services, LLC, which provides consultation, continuing professional development, and conference management services. She is also a Peer Reviewer for NCNA/ANCC. Her doctorate is in Public Health: Community Health & Education, she holds 2 masters degrees, 2 bachelors degrees, and 1 associate degree (and a Partridge in a pear tree!). She is the poster child for lifelong learning.