Speakers

Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN
Professor and Associate Dean
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing 

Dr. Felesia Bowen is Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She is a decorated U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran who earned her BSN at Tuskegee University, Master’s degree from Rutgers University, PhD from Columbia University, and DNP from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Bowen has devoted her career to improving health disparities and equity for children, their families, and the communities they live in. Dr. Bowen is known and respected for her unconventional and upstream approaches to addressing nursing workforce diversity. Dr. Bowen is a firm believer that student nurse diversity is necessary to decrease health disparities in minority and marginalized individuals. Dr. Bowen is a nationally certified primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and President-elect of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

Loretta T. Lee, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FADLN, FNAP
Professor and Department Vice Chair, Family, Community and Health Systems  
University of Alabama Birmingham School of Nursing  

Dr. Loretta T. Lee, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, is a leading figure in health policy advocacy and the healthcare industry. Her fellowships with the American Academies of Practice, the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, and her National Black Nurses Association Inc. Health Policy Committee chairmanship demonstrate her dedication to interprofessional education and advocating for health policies that will transform healthcare. Dr. Lee’s academic journey, from earning her PhD in 2012 to her BSN in 1986, has been a testament to her commitment to nursing and healthcare. As a nurse scientist, her scholarship and research center on advancing transformative health equity for historically marginalized populations. Dr. Lee is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, a National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation program evaluator, and an associate editor for the international peer-reviewed journal Ethnicity and Health.

Joy Deupree, PhD, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN 
Professor Nursing Acute, Chronic & Continuing Care 
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing

Dr. Joy Deupree is a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner, educator, r esearcher and policy advocate. Her work has focused on reducing health disparities in rural and underserved areas of the South. In 2006, Dr. Deupree co-founded the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama (NPAA). Her advocacy for all nurses to practice to the full extent of their training and education led her to dedicate more than 10 years to NPAA leadership positions strategizing with stakeholders in Alabama to reduce barriers to practice and improve access to care. As president of the NPAA from 2012 to 2013, she championed numerous legislative and regulatory efforts that exponentially increased practice opportunities for NPs to improve access to care for rural Alabamians. Dr. Deupree was a faculty member in the UAB School of Nursing from 1999 to 2019, where she held numerous leadership positions, and in 2019, she relocated to the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, where she was a professor and Associate Dean for Practice Innovation, Partnerships. In 2023, she returned to the UAB School of Nursing and was a professor and Director of Health Policy Partnerships in the Office of Clinical and Global Partnerships from 2023 to 2024. 

Lorna Finnegan, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Loyola University Chicago  

Lorna Finnegan joined Loyola University Chicago in 2019 as Professor and Dean of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. She brings extensive experience in academic research, teaching, clinical practice, and leadership to her role. Dr. Finnegan earned her BSN, MS, and PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing. Before joining Loyola, she held leadership positions at UIC, including Executive Associate Dean and Department Head. Earlier in her career, she served as the Founding Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She is also the past president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the leading organization dedicated to advancing quality nurse practitioner education. Her scholarship, clinical practice, a nd leadership focus on integrating big data analytics, strategic academic-practice partnerships, innovative teaching strategies, and policy-shaping leadership to enhance access to primary care and promote health equity among vulnerable and underserved populations. Dr. Finnegan has received National Institutes of Health funding for her research on symptom clusters in adults with multiple chronic illnesses and has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to teaching, research, and leadership. She has also served as a visiting scholar at universities in Thailand, South Africa, and South Korea. 

Speakers

Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN
Professor and Associate Dean
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing 

Dr. Felesia Bowen is Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She is a decorated U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran who earned her BSN at Tuskegee University, Master’s degree from Rutgers University, PhD from Columbia University, and DNP from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Bowen has devoted her career to improving health disparities and equity for children, their families, and the communities they live in. Dr. Bowen is known and respected for her unconventional and upstream approaches to addressing nursing workforce diversity. Dr. Bowen is a firm believer that student nurse diversity is necessary to decrease health disparities in minority and marginalized individuals. Dr. Bowen is a nationally certified primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and President-elect of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.

Loretta T. Lee, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FADLN, FNAP
Professor and Department Vice Chair, Family, Community and Health Systems  
University of Alabama Birmingham School of Nursing  

Dr. Loretta T. Lee, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, is a leading figure in health policy advocacy and the healthcare industry. Her fellowships with the American Academies of Practice, the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, and her National Black Nurses Association Inc. Health Policy Committee chairmanship demonstrate her dedication to interprofessional education and advocating for health policies that will transform healthcare. Dr. Lee’s academic journey, from earning her PhD in 2012 to her BSN in 1986, has been a testament to her commitment to nursing and healthcare. As a nurse scientist, her scholarship and research center on advancing transformative health equity for historically marginalized populations. Dr. Lee is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, a National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation program evaluator, and an associate editor for the international peer-reviewed journal Ethnicity and Health.

Joy Deupree, PhD, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN 
Professor Nursing Acute, Chronic & Continuing Care 
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing

Dr. Joy Deupree is a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner, educator, r esearcher and policy advocate. Her work has focused on reducing health disparities in rural and underserved areas of the South. In 2006, Dr. Deupree co-founded the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama (NPAA). Her advocacy for all nurses to practice to the full extent of their training and education led her to dedicate more than 10 years to NPAA leadership positions strategizing with stakeholders in Alabama to reduce barriers to practice and improve access to care. As president of the NPAA from 2012 to 2013, she championed numerous legislative and regulatory efforts that exponentially increased practice opportunities for NPs to improve access to care for rural Alabamians. Dr. Deupree was a faculty member in the UAB School of Nursing from 1999 to 2019, where she held numerous leadership positions, and in 2019, she relocated to the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, where she was a professor and Associate Dean for Practice Innovation, Partnerships. In 2023, she returned to the UAB School of Nursing and was a professor and Director of Health Policy Partnerships in the Office of Clinical and Global Partnerships from 2023 to 2024. 

Lorna Finnegan, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Loyola University Chicago  

Lorna Finnegan joined Loyola University Chicago in 2019 as Professor and Dean of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. She brings extensive experience in academic research, teaching, clinical practice, and leadership to her role. Dr. Finnegan earned her BSN, MS, and PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing. Before joining Loyola, she held leadership positions at UIC, including Executive Associate Dean and Department Head. Earlier in her career, she served as the Founding Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She is also the past president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the leading organization dedicated to advancing quality nurse practitioner education. Her scholarship, clinical practice, a nd leadership focus on integrating big data analytics, strategic academic-practice partnerships, innovative teaching strategies, and policy-shaping leadership to enhance access to primary care and promote health equity among vulnerable and underserved populations. Dr. Finnegan has received National Institutes of Health funding for her research on symptom clusters in adults with multiple chronic illnesses and has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to teaching, research, and leadership. She has also served as a visiting scholar at universities in Thailand, South Africa, and South Korea. 

Speakers

Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN
Professor and Associate Dean
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing 

Dr. Felesia Bowen is Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She is a decorated U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran who earned her BSN at Tuskegee University, Master’s degree from Rutgers University, PhD from Columbia University, and DNP from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Bowen has devoted her career to improving health disparities and equity for children, their families, and the communities they live in. Dr. Bowen is known and respected for her unconventional, and upstream approaches to addressing nursing workforce diversity. Dr. Bowen is a firm believer that student nurse diversity is necessary to decrease health di sparities in minority and marginalized individuals.  Dr. Bowen is a nationally certified primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and President-elect of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.  

Speakers

Shawna Sisler, PhD, MS, MA, MAPP, APRN, CPNP-PC, PMHS 
Assistant Professor (Clinical) 
University of Utah 

Dr. Shawna Sisler brings extensive expertise in population health, pediatrics, and mental health to her role in nursing education. Her academic background includes a PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Utah, an MS in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and additional Master's degrees in Applied Positive Psychology and Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania and Santa Clara University, respectively. As a passionate community advocate and changemaker, Dr. Sisler spearheads innovative approaches to Utah’s behavioral health integration and social determinants of mental health in rural and frontier communities. She is the Principal Investigator for the HRSA-f unded Utah Rural Opioid Healthcare Consortium - Collaborative Care Model (UROHC-CCM) grant, which aims to reduce opioid usage and dependence in Carbon, Emery, and Wayne Counties - areas in east-central Utah with some of the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in the state. In this role, she directs research and clinical strategies, collaborates with rural community clinics, and manages the project's financial and administrative aspects. Additionally, Dr. Sisler co-leads redesign efforts in the population health vertical at the College of Nursing, contributing to the shift toward competency-based education. Dr. Sisler's commitment to innovative healthcare solutions and community advocacy extends beyond her academic work, as she serves as a long-time volunteer and Loaned Nurse Executive for the American Red Cross, working directly under the Chief Nurse on their Nursing and Health leadership team at the National Headquarters. 

Richard MacIntyre, PhD, RN, FAAN 
Professor  
Samuel Merritt University 

Dr. Richard MacIntyre is Professor and Director of the RN to BSN Program at Samuel Merritt University. He is also a board member at TriState College of Acupuncture in NYC, a member of the Advisory Council on Policy, STTI, and a member of the Nursing Council at Western Governors. He was a Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse fellow where he focused on innovative curricula, including standardized curricula for informatics. 

Speaker

Sarah Oerther, PhD, MEd, RN, FNP-BC, FNAP, ANEF
Assistant Professor
Goldfarb School of Nursing
Barnes-Jewish College

Sarah Oerther is an Assistant Professor at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College. To promote climate resilience, Dr. Oerther seeks to create culturally appropriate tools that can help individuals assess their risk and take necessary action to protect their health. By doing so, her program of research is expected to reduce the economic burden caused by preventable climate-related illnesses and ensure a healthier and more productive society. She is currently part of the 2024 cohort for Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS) and was recently selected as a CHARTER fellow for 2024 with the Woodruff Health Sciences Center at Emory University.