Speakers

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

Throughout her nursing career, Julie 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.

Speakers

Maja Djukic, PhD, RN, FAAN
Assistant Dean for Research
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Maja Djukic joined the Cizik School of Nursing on Sept. 1, 2020, as the John P. McGovern Distinguished Associate Professor in the Department of Research. She is a widely published nurse scientist who has pioneered national research of new graduate nurses to identify key gaps in quality and safety competencies essential for high-value patient care. The more than $7 million in extramural funding she has secured in the past decade includes three current studies on which she serves as primary investigator that examine various issues affecting the nursing workforce.

Earlier in her career, Djukic received two prestigious career development awards – the Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholar Award and the Josiah Macy Junior Foundation Faculty Scholar Award. She was elected co-chair of the Interdisciplinary Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI) at Academy Health and is currently an Associate Editor for the Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice journal.

Prior to joining Cizik School of Nursing, Djukic was an associate professor at New York University College of Nursing, where she earned a PhD in Nursing and a Master of Science in Nursing Education. She began her nursing career Oklahoma, receiving an Associate Degree in Nursing from Tulsa Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from North Eastern State University

Speakers

Varsha Singh, DNP, APN, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAANP
Manager Neurosciences/Stroke Program/Telestroke Specialist
St. Joseph’s Health System

Dr. Varsha Singh, DNP, APN, CT-CP, NEA-BC, FAHA, FAANP is a JONAS Scholar who has served as a nursing leader for more than 15 years in variety of roles. At present, she is System Neuroscience/Stroke Program manager at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center and part-time faculty of the FNP program at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Singh has served in many nurse leadership roles, such as President for the American Association of Indian Nurses NJ2, National Indian Nurse Practitioner’s Association (NINPAA), New Jersey state Nurses Association Region 3, NJ Stroke Coordinator’s Consortium and Forum of Nurses in Advance Practice. Dr. Singh has also served nationally as the Director at Large (2018-2020) for ANA(American Nurses Association). At present, she has been elected to serve as the AANP (American Association of Nurse Practitioners) State Liaison for New Jersey. Dr. Singh has received numerous awards, which include the most prestigious Institute for Nursing New Jersey/NJ State Nurses Association DIVA award and Fellow of AANP. She was a Kellogg’s scholar (2003-2005), Jonas Scholar (2014-2016), winner of Elizabeth Seton Young Alumni award (SHU) by March of the Dimes, Nurse of the Year Award (2015), State Clinical Excellence Award –AANP (2018) and then Sarah Erickson Award at DNP graduation (2018). GOPIO Community Service Award (2020). She also holds Fellowship status at American Heart Association as well as New York Academy of Medicine. She continues to serve within the state, nationally as well as internationally—mentoring, guiding and advocating for advancement of nurses in all areas of practice. She always encourages nurses to follow their dreams and advises that the “sky is not the limit.”

Speakers

Brittany Hay, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FNP-BC
Assistant Professor
University of South Florida

Dr. Brittany Hay is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, lead director of the nurse practitioner concentrations, and director of the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner concentration. She has extensive experience in the advanced practice nurse role caring for patients and families prior to becoming faculty. As a DNP, she has engaged in multiple successful systems level initiatives utilizing evidence-based practice and quality improvement approaches. Dr. Hay has advanced education and scholarship in diagnostic reasoning and teaching. She leverages competency-based educational strategies to support student development of the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for successful contemporary practice.

Speakers

Robert Englander, MD, MPH
Leading Authority on Competency-Based Education and Entrustable Professional Activities

Dr. Englander is the immediate past Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) at the University of Minnesota. He attended Yale Medical School, received an MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, completed pediatric residency at Children’s National Medical Center and a Critical Care fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. His career has included stints at the University of Maryland Medical School (1993-2002), the University of Connecticut Medical School (2002-2011), the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) (2011-2015) and the University of Minnesota Medical School (2016-2022). His clinical career has focused on the inpatient care of pediatric patients with an emphasis on quality and patient safety. He served as Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center from 2005-2011.

Dr. Englander has held leadership positions in both UME and GME with a scholarly focus on Competency-based Medical Education. He was a member of the Pediatric Milestones working group and helped write the General Pediatric Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs). While at the AAMC, he led the Education in Pediatrics Across the Continuum pilot to test the feasibility of competency-based, time variable progression from medical school through residency. He also led the development of the Core EPAs for Entering Residency, delineating the 13 activities that every graduate of medical school should be able to do on day one of residency, regardless of specialty choice. Dr. Englander is excited in this next phase of his career to continue to advance CBE across the health professions.