Speakers

Daphne Delgado 
Vice President
Health Equity 

Daphne Delgado is Vice President of Health Equity at UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2), where she works to promote brain health equity through the organization's priorities, initiatives and programmatic activities. Additionally, she leads the Center for Brain Health Equity's work, including the Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellowship and UsA2's partnership with the CDC. Daphne has over a decade of experience in government relations, coalition building, and public health and chronic disease prevention policy, using her experience to advocate on behalf of patients, caregivers, and community-based organizations. Prior to joining UsA2, Daphne worked at Trust for America's Health, YMCA of the USA, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and served as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Health Fellow for U.S. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard. She was named as an Aspen Ideas Health Fellow in 2022. Daphne has a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, a minor in Biology from Duke University and a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She lives in Nashville.

Angela E. Dykes, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC 

Angela E. Dykes is President of Essential Health & Wellness and Immediate Past President of the South Carolina Nurses Association. A board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with more than 30 years of healthcare experience, she specializes in primary care, prevention, wellness, and patient education, with a focus on improving health outcomes in underserved communities throughout North Augusta and surrounding areas.  

Dr. Dykes is passionate about advancing brain health and healthy aging through education, early intervention, and risk reduction. She is a 2025 alum of t he UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Brain Health Fellowship, supported by the National Black Nurses Association and the National Hispanic Nurses Association, and works to educate communities and healthcare professionals about dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and strategies to reduce cognitive decline risk factors.

Nora Hernandez Pupo, PhD, RN, COI, TNCC, WCSI
Caritas Coach® & Caritas Leader®

Dr. Nora Hernandez Pupo is a nurse educator and leader with over 25 years of clinical experience and more than a decade in academic leadership. She is currently a faculty member at Nevada State University, where she contributes to nursing education and student development.

Dr. Pupo has held a range of clinical roles across multiple hospital settings and units, bringing a breadth of real-world experience into her academic work. Prior to joining Nevada State University in 2022, she served for seven years at Barry University as an Assistant Professor and Program Director for the undergraduate BSN program. Dr. Pupo has been actively involved with the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) for over 12 years at both the local and national levels. She was selected as a 2025 Brain Health Equity Nurse Fellow.

Adriana Perez, PhD, CRNP, ANP-BC, FAAN, FGSA,  
Assistant Professor, UPenn School of Nursing   
Senior Fellow, UPenn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics

Dr. Adriana Perez teaches Leadership Development in Health Care (NURS748) in the DNP program and has been acknowledged by Penn Nursing’s Graduate Student Organization with the Outstanding Nurse Educator Award. She has developed Social Justice sessions for ABSN students to foster dialogue and activate actions that address structural racism and advance health equity as students prepare to become nurses in today’s world. She is energized by Penn Nursing st udents and enjoys teaching, mentoring, and learning from them.

Speakers

Carol J. Howe, PhD, RN, CDCES, FAAN
Associate and Parker Endowed Professor
Texas Christian University

Dr. Carol Howe is an Associate and the Paula R. and Ronald C. Parker Endowed Professor of Nursing in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Her research focuses on the health literacy skills of patients, clinicians, and hospital systems to drive improved patient outcomes. Her focus is on implementation research and quality improvement to increase clinician uptake of health literacy practices to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Howe is currently a principal investigator, collaborating with colleagues at Children’s Health, on three studies using implementation science frameworks and strategies to implement clinician health literacy practices in pediatric ambulatory clinics. Dr. Howe has received honors for her efforts, including the Big 12 Faculty of the Year, the Leadership Award from the American Diabetes Association, the Excellence in Education Award from the Pediatric Endocrinology Nursing Society, the Penn Nursing Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence and Dr. Howe is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
 

Lindsey Patton, PhD, APRN, PCNS-BC
Sr. Director Nursing Excellence, Research and Innovation  
Children’s Health System of Texas

Dr. Lindsey Patton leads strategic initiatives that elevate nursing practice, advance research, and foster innovation across Children’s Health. As Senior Director of Nursing Excellence, Research and Innovation, she has been instrumental in shaping a culture of inquiry and evidence-based care. Her leadership has driven the development of a robust academic partnership with Texas Christian University (TCU), expanding opportunities for collaborative research, professional development, and clinical scholarship. 
 

Danielle Walker, RN, PhD, CNE
Associate and Parker Endowed Professor    
Texas Christian University

Dr. Danielle Walker is an Associate Professor in the Harris College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Texas Christian University. A learning scientist focused on nursing education, Dr. Walker’s research centers on improving the quality of teaching and evaluation through evidence-based practices. Her expertise in psychometrics supports the development and validation of reliable instruments across diverse educational and clinical settings. She has been recognized for her contributions to nursing education research with awards such as the 2020 QSEN Researcher of the Year and the Generating Evidence for Nursing Education Practice Award at the Nursing Education Research Conference.  
 

Tammy Webb, PhD, RN, NE-BC  
Chief Nurse Executive  
Children’s Health System of Texas

President
California Association of Colleges of Nursing

Precision Health & Genomics Work Group Co-Chair
American Nurses Association

Dr. Tammy Webb leads nursing strategy and drives clinical excellence in a large children’s hospital system, while fostering a culture of patient- and family-centered care and nursing excellence. She has led multiple ANCC Magnet designations and pioneered both new and evolving professional nursing governance structures empowering nurses through accountability, autonomy and authority.    

She is responsible for executing strategies aimed at achieving high reliability, advancing quality and patient safety and performance improvement culture. She has published numerous articles in prominent nursing journals and conducted significant research on the role of pediatric nursing.?She serves in multiple local, regional and national professional nursing and healthcare organizations advancing and promoting the i mpact of nurse leaders.

Speakers

Nancy Edwards, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, FAANP
Professor Emerita
Purdue University

Dr. Nancy Edwards is an associate professor of nursing. Edwards is also Director of the Purdue Primary Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program. She is known for her research into non-chemical ways to improve quality of life for those with all forms of dementia, their loved ones and caregivers, and their communities at large. She has studied the effects of animal-assisted therapy, including robotic dogs, and chair-based exercise therapy for patients, as well as the differing needs of family caregivers based on the challenges posed by various kinds of dementia. As a faculty member and clinical preceptor, she has guided the education of 89 nurse practitioner students and served as chair for 42 master's students as well as 21 students seeking their doctor of nursing practice degrees.

Jennifer Coddington, DNP, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC

Assistant Dean of Online, Professional and Clinical Education, Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Graduate Program
Purdue University  

Medical Director, Director of Practice and Outreach
Central Nursing Clinics  

Dr. Jennifer Coddington is Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program, Director of Practice and Outreach, and Medical Director of North Central Nursing Clinics for the School of Nursing, and HHS Assistant Dean of Clinical Practice, Professional and Online Education. She has over 35 years of experience in pediatrics and currently practices part-time as a CPNP-PC in primary care. Dr. Coddington’s research focuses on quality outcomes of nurse-managed health systems. She implements and evaluates unique models of care that address current challenges in healthcare delivery in the United States including: increasing access to health care for vulnerable populations, innovating rural health care, removing barriers for practice for Advanced Practice Nurses, and improving pediatric health.

Speakers

Nancy Edwards, PhD, MSN, ANP-BC, FAANP
Professor Emerita
Purdue University

Dr. Nancy Edwards is an associate professor of nursing. Edwards is also Director of the Purdue Primary Care Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program. She is known for her research into non-chemical ways to improve quality of life for those with all forms of dementia, their loved ones and caregivers, and their communities at large. She has studied the effects of animal-assisted therapy, including robotic dogs, and chair-based exercise therapy for patients, as well as the differing needs of family caregivers based on the challenges posed by various kinds of dementia. As a faculty member and clinical preceptor, she has guided the education of 89 nurse practitioner students and served as chair for 42 master's students as well as 21 students seeking their doctor of nursing practice degrees.

Jennifer Coddington, DNP, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC

Assistant Dean of Online, Professional and Clinical Education, Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Graduate Program
Purdue University  

Medical Director, Director of Practice and Outreach
Central Nursing Clinics  

Dr. Jennifer Coddington is Clinical Professor, Director of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program, Director of Practice and Outreach, and Medical Director of North Central Nursing Clinics for the School of Nursing, and HHS Assistant Dean of Clinical Practice, Professional and Online Education. She has over 35 years of experience in pediatrics and currently practices part-time as a CPNP-PC in primary care. Dr. Coddington’s research focuses on quality outcomes of nurse-managed health systems. She implements and evaluates unique models of care that address current challenges in healthcare delivery in the United States including: increasing access to health care for vulnerable populations, innovating rural health care, removing barriers for practice for Advanced Practice Nurses, and improving pediatric health.

Speakers

Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN
Contributing Editor, JAMA Health Forum; Editor-in-Chief Emerita
American Journal of Nursing

Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy is a contributing editor for JAMA Health Forum and Editor-in-Chief Emerita of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), stepping down after 12 years at the helm and after 15 years in other journal roles. As AJN news director, Shawn was a visiting nurse scholar at the WHO Office of Nursing and Midwifery in 2009-2010. As AJN editor-in-chief, she led award-winning projects and series that have increased nurses’ awareness of important professional and social justice issues, enhanced curriculum, and provided evidence for policy change. Shawn guided AJN's innovative digital and social media strategy, positioning AJN as a leader among nursing and medical journals. Her work in advancing standards for nursing publications was recognized in 2016 by the International Academy of Nursing Editors with the Margaret Comerford Freda Award for Editorial Leadership and in 2017, she was awarded The Nightingale Initiative for Global Health Advocacy in Action Award for excellence in promoting nursing scholarship. Author of several book chapters and numerous articles in AJN and other journals, her editorials in AJN have received six Clarion awards from the Association of Women in Communications. She currently serves as a trustee of the Foundation of the National Student Nurses Association and of New Jersey’s Valley Hospital System and is on the national advisory board of R3-Resilient Nurse Initiative Maryland at The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She presents internationally on scholarly publishing issues, authorship ethics, and writing, with the goal of getting ALL nurses to tell their stories.