Speakers

Blake Smith, MSN, RN
Immediate Past-President, American Association for Men in Nursing
Commissioner, Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, American Nurses Association
Communication Chair, Board of Directors, Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC)
Accelerated Student Success Coach, Nebraska Methodist College

Blake K. Smith, MSN, RN, serves as a Clinical Documentation Sr. Analyst at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, NE. He oversees quality improvement/informatics projects specializing in health literacy, plan of care, downtime procedures, and regulatory reporting for five partnered hospital systems across Nebraska. Smith is a visionary thought leader for diversity and inclusion volunteer advocacy work. He has presented globally on men’s health and underrepresented workforce inclusion issues in nursing, including as a leading session speaker at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) 2023 Congress in Montreal.

Smith recently finished his term as the youngest president of the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN). He has advocated nationally for workforce inclusion for several years, serving on the national Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee for AARP/Center to Champion Nursing in America. Smith serves on the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (founding member) and is the national communications chair for the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) Board of Directors.

Smith holds a bachelor’s in science degree in Exercise Science Research from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE, in 2008, a BSN from Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha, NE, in 2012, and an MSN in Nursing Health Systems Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2017.

Smith is proud to be a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (UAB Chapter), Golden Key International Honor Society (UAB Chapter), Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity for Kinesiology (Nebraska Wesleyan Chapter), Zeta Psi Intercontinental Fraternity (Omicron Chapter), Sigma International (Nurse Leader Member/Tau Tau Chapter), American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN), National B lack Nurses Association (NBNA), American Nurses Association, Nebraska Nurses Association, and the Omaha, NE Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Organization.

He also holds two prestigious recognitions, receiving the Horizon Lifetime Achievement Award from Nebraska Methodist College (2018), the University of Alabama at Birmingham Alumni Society’s Top 25 of Business Excellence (2023), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Visionary Leader Award (2022), given to only 130 other distinguished alumni in the school’s 72-year history.

Speakers

Blake Smith, MSN, RN
Immediate Past-President, American Association for Men in Nursing
Commissioner, Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, American Nurses Association
Communication Chair, Board of Directors, Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC)
Accelerated Student Success Coach, Nebraska Methodist College

Blake K. Smith, MSN, RN, serves as a Clinical Documentation Sr. Analyst at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, NE. He oversees quality improvement/informatics projects specializing in health literacy, plan of care, downtime procedures, and regulatory reporting for five partnered hospital systems across Nebraska. Smith is a visionary thought leader for diversity and inclusion volunteer advocacy work. He has presented globally on men’s health and underrepresented workforce inclusion issues in nursing, including as a leading session speaker at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) 2023 Congress in Montreal.

Smith recently finished his term as the youngest president of the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN). He has advocated nationally for workforce inclusion for several years, serving on the national Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee for AARP/Center to Champion Nursing in America. Smith serves on the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (founding member) and is the national communications chair for the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC) Board of Directors.

Smith holds a bachelor’s in science degree in Exercise Science Research from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE, in 2008, a BSN from Nebraska Methodist College in Omaha, NE, in 2012, and an MSN in Nursing Health Systems Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 2017.

Smith is proud to be a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (UAB Chapter), Golden Key International Honor Society (UAB Chapter), Phi Epsilon Kappa Honor Fraternity for Kinesiology (Nebraska Wesleyan Chapter), Zeta Psi Intercontinental Fraternity (Omicron Chapter), Sigma International (Nurse Leader Member/Tau Tau Chapter), American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN), National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), American Nurses Association, Nebrask a Nurses Association, and the Omaha, NE Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Organization.

He also holds two prestigious recognitions, receiving the Horizon Lifetime Achievement Award from Nebraska Methodist College (2018), the University of Alabama at Birmingham Alumni Society’s Top 25 of Business Excellence (2023), and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Visionary Leader Award (2022), given to only 130 other distinguished alumni in the school’s 72-year history.

Speakers

Emily Helbick, BSN
DNP Student
Jacksonville University

Emily Helbick is a registered nurse as well as a value-based population health management expert with 13 years of experience. Throughout a decade of working in and out of a critical care hospital setting, Emily has experienced shifts in healthcare culture and policy firsthand. She witnessed the trend towards poor healthcare quality with a focus on volume over value. It was at this point that she decided to pivot to a career focusing on value-based care and health system improvement. Emily is now employed by one of the largest and most successful Accountable Care Organization’s in the nation. As a clinical project manager, she spearheads the organization’s initiatives for optimizing the spend towards post-acute care and their provider network of high caliber specialists while increasing patient care quality. Her toolbelt includes the power of artificial intelligence and innovative predictive analytics to help satisfy these demanding initiatives.

Emily attained a Bachelor of Nursing Science from the University of New Hampshire and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Jacksonville University. Emily volunteers with a local LGBTQ+ community non-profit delivering preventative care services as an HIV awareness and screening counselor. In her free time, Emily loves to travel, scuba dive, and participate with international ocean and coral conservation programs.

Gemma O'Donnell, MSN, RN
PhD Student
Arizona State University

Gemma O’Donnell is a master’s prepared registered nurse. She is a PhD student in the Arizona State University Edson College School of Nursing, PhD in Nursing and Healthcare Innovation program. Her research interest is in exploring solutions for family caregivers of persons with dementia. She teaches undergraduate nursing students at Northern Arizona University’s School of Nursing, focusing on Gerontology, Palliative Care and Nursin g Leadership. She has over 20 years of nursing experience serving the needs of patients with dementia at all stages and their family members.

Speakers

Elizabeth Kuzma, DNP, RN, FNP-BC
Clinical Associate Professor
University of Michigan

Elizabeth Kuzma, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, is a Clinical Associate Professor at University of Michigan's School of Nursing (UMSN) in the Health Behavior and Biological Sciences department. She is a Program Lead for their Adult-Gerontology and Family Nurse Practitioner Programs and serves as the Coordinator of the five Graduate Program Leads. As a Family Nurse Practitioner, she is committed to working with vulnerable and underserved populations, particularly at-risk, high ACE youth. Dr. Kuzma is an expert in providing holistic, trauma-informed primary care with cultural humility, including health promotion, disease prevention, management of minor acute and chronic conditions. Her research and scholarship focus includes a variety of adolescent health issues, particularly related to trauma, sexuality and gender identity, as well as integrating these content areas into NP education. She is actively involved and committed to professional and policy advocacy. She is a former past American Association for Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Representative for Michigan, has served on the AANP Research Committee, and is currently serving on the AANP National Nominations Council.

Speakers

Julie Van Orne, MSN, RN, CPN, CNL
Nursing EBP/ QI Coordinator
Cook Children’s Medical Center

Throughout her nursing career, Julie Van Orne has strived to improve the care of children with medical complexity. As a certified Clinical Nurse Leader, Julie has led multiple quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and research projects to advance the care pediatric patients and their families receive. In 2020, Julie began working on a Ph.D. in Nursing Science at Texas Woman’s University. Her dissertation will focus on sharing the lives of caregivers who care for children with a tracheostomy at home using photovoice. As Julie transitions into the role of a Nurse Scientist, she will collaborate heavily with a DNP counterpart to improve patient care and the clinical work environment at Cook Children’s Medical Center.

Kaylan Branson, MSN, RN, CPN, CNL
Director of Nursing Quality and Magnet
Cook Children’s Medical Center

Kaylan Branson is the Director of Nursing Quality and the Magnet Program at Cook Children’s Medical Center. Kaylan began her career as a nurse resident at Cook and has dedicated her clinical nursing career to improving the care of pediatric patients with medical complexity. Kaylan graduated with her master’s in nursing education in 2017 and received a post-master’s certificate as a certified Clinical Nurse Leader in 2019. Kaylan is pursuing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Kaylan’s doctoral studies have focused on improving nurse wellness in the clinical setting. In her role as nursing director, Kaylan believes in being a strong advocate for nurses and promoting nursing excellence by engaging frontline nursing in quality improvement activities that improve clinical outcomes and the care environment.