Speakers

Rita F. D’AOust, PhD
Associate Professor; Director, DNP/PhD Program
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing 

Dr. Rita F. D'Aoust is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and Director of the dual DNP/PhD program, with a joint appointment in the School of Medicine's Department of General Internal Medicine. As a military spouse and family member, Dr. D'Aoust has experienced military life from the sidelines. As a nurse practitioner, she has cared for veterans in community settings. These experiences have informed her significant contributions to educating nurses in veteran care. Dr. D'Aoust co-authored "Caring for Veterans and Their Families: A Guide for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals." She co-directed the Veterans Affairs Nursing Academy (VANA) and subsequent Veterans Affairs Nursing Academic Partnerships (VANAP) at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and University of South Florida. She is a member of the American Association of Nursing, Military/Veteran Expert Panel. Her innovative work includes developing the Veteran to Bachelor of Science Program, which recognizes prior learning through American Council of Education (ACE) transcript evaluation for military medics and corpsmen. She also created an online course, "Introduction to Military and Veteran Healthcare." Dr. D'Aoust's research focuses on the impact of military service on veteran health. She has studied novel therapies like Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for treating PTSD in homeless veterans and those with Military Sexual Trauma. She has also researched fibromyalgia symptomology in community-dwelling women veterans. As a mentor, Dr. D'Aoust has guided numerous doctoral students on veteran policy issues, nurse practitioner roles in veteran care, and quality improvement initiatives in VA settings. Her contributions have been recognized with the Jonas Faculty Mentor Award and the Jonas Nursing and Veterans Healthcare Distinguished Faculty Award in 2021. 

Catherine G. Ling, PhD
Associate Professor
Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing 

Dr. Catherine Ling is a nurse scientist, practicing Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), and certified nurse educator focusing on improving access to quality, primary care.  She works to improve culturally competent care for military families and is actively involved in community focused interventions to improve wellness at a local and global level. She is also creating innovative, engaging strategies to prepare DNP students for advanced practice. She received her BSN from the University of Tennessee Knoxville, her MN from Emory University and her PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Ling is a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing. She is currently an Associate Professor and inaugural CNO of Service within the COMPASS Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. 

Alicia Gill Rossiter, DNP
Associate Professor
University of South Florida

Dr. Alicia Gill Rossiter is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing and serves as Chief Officer of Military and Veteran Affairs and Director of the V-CARE Veteran to BSN Pathway. She is a Family Nurse Practitioner board certified in Pediatric Primary Care. Dr. Rossiter served in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps on active duty for four years which included two deployments - a combat deployment to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and a humanitarian mission to Honduras, Central America. She transferred into the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1995 and served as an Individual Mobilization Augmentee until retiring in 2015. Her military experience is the impetus behind her research which includes women veterans and military sexual trauma, effects of parental military service on military-connected children, and transitioning needs of medics and corpsmen into the professional role of nursing. During her doctoral program, she was selected as a Bob Woodruff Jonas Veteran Healthcare Scholar. She was a member of the inaugural cohort of AAN Jonas Policy Scholars with the Military/Veteran Health Expert Panel. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in 2014 and in the American Academy of Nursing in 2018 where she served as the Co-Chair and Chair of the Military/Veteran Health Expert Panel from 2018-2022. She recently co-authored her first book,?Caring for Veterans and their Families: A Guide for Nurses and other Healthcare Professionals. 

Speaker

Laura A. Taylor, PhD, CN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN
Founder and CEO, GuIDE to Degree

With more than 26 years in the transplant nursing/community, and 34 years in nursing education, Dr. Taylor has earned national and international recognition as a strong leader who shapes practice, policy and education. Dr. Taylor’s scholarship integrates pioneering technology-based innovations, rigorous scientific methods, inter-professional collaboration, and focused orientation on the advancement of global transplant care and education. Dr. Taylor embodies the innovative and evidence-based approach to contemporary nursing education, practice and healthcare delivery meeting the needs of patients in increasingly complex healthcare environments. 

Dr. Taylor established an educational pathway, The Guiding Initiative for Doctoral Education program (GuIDE ™), a program providing advanced practice nurses informational and problem-solving opportunities regarding PhD, EdD, and DNP education. GuIDE™ is preparing nurses to be competitive for admission to doctoral programs with the goal of increasing the diversity of doctorally prepared nurses.

Speakers

Cynthia Clark, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Founder and Consultant for Civility Matters
Professor Emeritus at Boise State University

Dr. Cynthia Clark is Founder of Civility Matters, Professor Emeritus at Boise State University, and an award-winning professor, scholar, and author. She serves as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, the NLN Academy of Nursing Education, and co-chaired the American Nurses Association Professional Panel on Incivility, Bullying, and Workplace Violence. Dr. Clark is best known for her ground-breaking work on fostering civility and healthy work and learning environments around the globe. Her theory-driven interventions, empirical measurements, theoretical models, and reflective assessments provide best practices to prevent, measure, and address incivility to create healthy, productive workplaces.

Dr. Clark is the recipient of numerous teaching, service, and research awards and widely acclaimed for her engaging presentations. Her empirical assessments have been translated into 16 world languages and used by scholars in 32 countries on 5 continents. The 1st edition of Creating and Sustaining Civility in Nursing Education received 1st place honors as the 2013 AJN Book of the Year. The 2nd edition is available and the 3rd edition is underway. Her recent book, Core Competencies of Civility for Nursing & Healthcare, is a must-read for all nurses and health care professionals. Dr. Clark is a community builder and an unwavering advocate for a kinder, gentler, and more civil world.

Speakers

Dr. Nia Adimu-Ceja Josiah, DNP, MSN, RN, PMHNP
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Columbia University School of Nursing
Jonas Scholar (2021-2023)

Dr. Nia Adimu-Ceja Josiah is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Columbia University Medical Center and Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. Josiah is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) graduate from Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON) and a licensed Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. Dr. Josiah is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA MFP/ANA Doctoral Fellow, Jonas Scholar, Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) scholar and CUSON Pathways to Leadership and Advancement in Nursing (PLAN) scholar.

Dr. Josiah serves as a nursing leader gaining over 10 years of professional, clinical experience in psychology and psychiatry combined, ranging from nursing research, teaching, serving in acute care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, mentally disabled communities, respite-care, and palliative care. Dr. Josiah has gained professional and leadership experience in the medical field climbing the nursing ladder from a home health aide, certified nursing assistant, gerontologic assistant, medicine technician, mastered degree nurse, to now a DNP, PMHNP. Dr. Josiah’s doctoral training consisted of interning as a PMHNP, DNP conducting individual psychotherapy at Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in Bronx, New York, intern at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, New York conducting medication management and an outpatient intern for Dr. Fatima Ramos-Marcuse in Mamaroneck, New York conducting both medication management and psychotherapy.

Dr. Josiah has two years of experience in conducting simulation-based learning. She has honed the necessary skills in planning, preparation and execution of simulation-based healthcare training, education and execution. Dr. Josiah has led and assisted in researching technology and simulation best-practice training for CUSON faculty across disciplines. She completed the Essentials in Clinical Simulation Across the Heal th Professions course and received a certificate authorized by George Washington University.

Dr. Josiah has had the pleasure to teach nationally and internationally at Columbia University School of Nursing, and remote at GEC Academy in Shanghai, China. She has taught science of psychiatric/mental health nurse practice, evidence-based practice, scholarly writing and dissemination, health promotion and disease prevention, and general simulation lab to masters and doctoral degree students.

Dr. Josiah has expertise in forming, leading, and managing research teams as well as co-authored with over 20 PhD’s and DNP’s. Dr. Josiah’s research interests focus on addressing systemic drivers of racial health iniquities among marginalized patient populations. Dr. Josiah’s publications consist of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews, discursive papers, editorials, op-eds, nursing blogs, and poster presentations. Dr. Josiah uses her social justice advocacy to lobby nursing initiatives impacting marginalized populations at national and international workshops and on leadership panels.

Dr. Josiah currently serves as a Columbia University School of Nursing Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) Board Member, a Jonas Alumni Council Board Member, and an inducted member of Sigma Theta Tau International Society Nu Beta at Large chapter. Dr. Josiah serves on local, national, and international committees including: CUSON's anti-racism retention committee and BIPOC Deans’ Advisory Group as 2023 graduating class representative, co-founded sub-committee Umoja, ANA, SIGMA Nu Beta Chapter at-Large (Governance), International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) committee and AACN Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA committee member).

Currently, Dr. Josiah works in the outpatient setting in Mount Vernon, New York, operates her own private practice and volunteers at local homeless shelters.

Speakers

Dr. Nia Adimu-Ceja Josiah, DNP, MSN, RN, PMHNP
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Columbia University School of Nursing
Jonas Scholar (2021-2023)

Dr. Nia Adimu-Ceja Josiah is an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the Columbia University Medical Center and Columbia University School of Nursing. Dr. Josiah is a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) graduate from Columbia University School of Nursing (CUSON) and a licensed Nurse Practitioner in Psychiatry. Dr. Josiah is a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SAMHSA MFP/ANA Doctoral Fellow, Jonas Scholar, Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) scholar and CUSON Pathways to Leadership and Advancement in Nursing (PLAN) scholar.

Dr. Josiah serves as a nursing leader gaining over 10 years of professional, clinical experience in psychology and psychiatry combined, ranging from nursing research, teaching, serving in acute care facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, mentally disabled communities, respite-care, and palliative care. Dr. Josiah has gained professional and leadership experience in the medical field climbing the nursing ladder from a home health aide, certified nursing assistant, gerontologic assistant, medicine technician, mastered degree nurse, to now a DNP, PMHNP. Dr. Josiah’s doctoral training consisted of interning as a PMHNP, DNP conducting individual psychotherapy at Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services in Bronx, New York, intern at Four Winds Hospital in Katonah, New York conducting medication management and an outpatient intern for Dr. Fatima Ramos-Marcuse in Mamaroneck, New York conducting both medication management and psychotherapy.

Dr. Josiah has two years of experience in conducting simulation-based learning. She has honed the necessary skills in planning, preparation and execution of simulation-based healthcare training, education and execution. Dr. Josiah has led and assisted in researching technology and simulation best-practice training for CUSON faculty across disciplines. She completed the Essentials in Clinical Simulation Across the Health Professions course and received a certificate authoriz ed by George Washington University.

Dr. Josiah has had the pleasure to teach nationally and internationally at Columbia University School of Nursing, and remote at GEC Academy in Shanghai, China. She has taught science of psychiatric/mental health nurse practice, evidence-based practice, scholarly writing and dissemination, health promotion and disease prevention, and general simulation lab to masters and doctoral degree students.

Dr. Josiah has expertise in forming, leading, and managing research teams as well as co-authored with over 20 PhD’s and DNP’s. Dr. Josiah’s research interests focus on addressing systemic drivers of racial health iniquities among marginalized patient populations. Dr. Josiah’s publications consist of peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews, discursive papers, editorials, op-eds, nursing blogs, and poster presentations. Dr. Josiah uses her social justice advocacy to lobby nursing initiatives impacting marginalized populations at national and international workshops and on leadership panels.

Dr. Josiah currently serves as a Columbia University School of Nursing Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) Board Member, a Jonas Alumni Council Board Member, and an inducted member of Sigma Theta Tau International Society Nu Beta at Large chapter. Dr. Josiah serves on local, national, and international committees including: CUSON's anti-racism retention committee and BIPOC Deans’ Advisory Group as 2023 graduating class representative, co-founded sub-committee Umoja, ANA, SIGMA Nu Beta Chapter at-Large (Governance), International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN) (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) committee and AACN Graduate Nursing Student Academy (GNSA committee member).

Currently, Dr. Josiah works in the outpatient setting in Mount Vernon, New York, operates her own private practice and volunteers at local homeless shelters.