Speaker

Hussein Michael Tahan, PhD, RN, FAAN, FCM
Chief Nursing Officer and System Vice President
Nursing Professional Development, Workforce Management, and Academic Affairs
MedStar Health

Hussein M. Tahan is an internationally recognized nurse leader, scholar, and expert in case management and care coordination. He currently serves as Chief Nursing Officer & System Vice President for Nursing Professional Development, Workforce Management, and Academic Affairs at MedStar Health.

Hussein has led transformative initiatives in nursing practice, workforce strategy, and care delivery models across large health systems. With over 30 years of experience, he has significantly advanced the field of professional case management through research, education, and policy. He has authored over 110 publications, including award-winning textbooks and national research studies on the roles and functions of case managers. 

Hussein is a past commissioner and chair of the Commission for Case Manager Certification, editorial advisory board member of the Professional Case Management and CMSA Today journals. He just finished his term as the chair of the American Academy of Nursing-Institute of Nursing Leadership National Advisory Council; he is currently a member of the National Advisory Board of the Vizient/AACN New to Practice Nurse Residency Program, a member of the CNO Advisory group for Symplr, a member of the Aya Healthcare Workforce Technology Advisory Board, and a member of the CCNE Finance Committee.

Hussein is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and an inaugural fellow in case management conferred by the Case Management Society of America (CMSA). He is a two-time recipient of the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award. In 2016, CMSA presented Hussein with the Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2025, the National Award of Service Excellence, both recognizing his unwavering contributions to professional case management practice.

Hussein received his Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, his Master’s of Science degree in nursing administra tion from the University of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, NY, and his Doctor of Philosophy from Columbia University in New York City, NY.
 

Speaker

Marta Okoniewski, MPA
Director of Student Engagement
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

Marta Okoniewski is the Director of Student Engagement at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). She led the development, launch, and growth of the GNSA, a national network providing high-value programs, services, and resources to nursing students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs. Prior to joining AACN, Ms. Okoniewski worked as the Program Coordinator at New York University College of Nursing within the Academic and Clinical Affairs Department. She received her master’s in public administration from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Scranton.

Speaker

Courtney Pitts, DNP, MPH, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Courtney Pitts, DNP, MPH, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, is a Clinical Professor and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Specialty Director at the Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing. She is a nationally certified and actively practicing FNP with a clinical background in primary care and the management of patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Her experience as a nurse educator includes curricular oversight, clinical training program development and clinical practicum placement. As a former project director of a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) federally funded advanced nursing education workforce grant, Dr. Pitts focused on establishing and maintaining academic practice partnerships required to support nurse practitioner student success in their clinical learning. In 2021, Dr. Pitts was appointed by the United States Secretary of Health to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP). In this role, she serves with a national cadre of colleagues who focus on nursing workforce, practice, and education issues. Other roles of leadership include service or past service within the National League for Nursing (NLN),  the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).
 

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.