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

Gabrielle Flynt, BSN
AGACNP-DNP Student
Winona State University 

Gabrielle Flynt (she/her/hers) is a registered nurse in a rural northeast Iowa critical access emergency department and current Doctor of Nursing Practice Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner student at Winona State University, graduating in May 2025. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Washington State University in 2015. Originally from the inland northwest, employment opportunities for her spouse brought them to the rural Midwest, where they have resided for the last seven years. Passionate about improving healthcare for LGBTQ+ folks, she and her co-presenter Mara Bennett-Deiss co-created a workshop entitled Code Rainbow, designed to enhance allyship among healthcare providers. Initially a school assignment, Code Rainbow has blossomed into a passion project beyond their wildest dreams. It has ta ken them to several national nursing conferences to present their data and outcomes, including as a poster at the 2024 Midwest Nursing Research Society conference and as a podium presentation at the 2024 University of Iowa National Evidence-Based Practice conference. In February 2024, Code Rainbow: Addressing LGBTQ+ Allyship Among Rural Healthcare Providers won the best poster award at the AACN Diversity Symposium. Her interests outside of school and work include travel, gardening, playing fetch with her corgi, yoga, and spending time with her family. 

Mara Bennett-Deiss, DNP
Nurse Practitioner Resident
Penobscot Community Health Center 

Mara Bennett-Deiss was recruited to play soccer outside of her Michigan high school and received her BSN as a student athlete in 2016 from Lewis University in the suburbs of Chicago. After 8 years at the bedside in medical surgical, oncology, primary care, and rural settings, Mara attended Winona State Unive rsity in Minnesota to complete her DNP and is an AANP board certified family nurse practitioner. Mara characterizes her practice as a heartfelt blend of humor, transparency, and gentleness. With a fierce passion for serving marginalized communities, she prioritizes equity for all patients. Her philosophy centers on acceptance, ensuring that every individual feels acknowledged and respected. Passionate about improving LGBTQ+ healthcare, Mara co-created a workshop: Code Rainbow, with her co-presenter Gabrielle Flynt, to enhance allyship among healthcare providers. As a foster parent and avid volunteer, she strives to make a positive impact on her community. To unwind, Mara finds comfort in spending time with her dogs, game nights with friends, and is an avid sports enthusiast. With her kind nature, humorous disposition, and unwavering curiosity, Mara brings a unique and compassionate approach to her work and personal life. 

Speakers

Jennifer DiBenedetto, PhD, APRN, FNP-C
Assistant Professor, DNP Online Graduate Nursing Program
Nurse Scientist – Lahey Hospital and Medical Center
Regis College

Jennifer DiBenedetto is a T32 post-doctoral research fellow at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center/Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College conducting research related to burnout in nursing and primary care. She has had experience teaching Doctor of Nursing Practice Students at Regis College and is frequently involved in generating DNP projects and submitting to the IRB. She is also a nurse scientist at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, MA and works as a nurse practitioner in pediatrics in Northborough, MA.