More Than Publication: Building Visibility and Influence
March 24, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
This webinar is hosted by the AACN Faculty Leadership Network (FLN).
Webinar Details
As nurses, we need to ensure that our work is made visible and that our contributions are recognized. Innovative projects, effective practices, and meaningful outcomes should be shared beyond the nursing community to reach the audiences who need nurses’ insights most. This webinar will offer dissemination strategies to promote your work beyond scholarly journals and colleagues.
Outcomes:
- List factors that can determine the likelihood of your paper getting published;
- Describe how to choose and vet appropriate, reputable journals;
- Identify three non-traditional strategies for disseminating your work.
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
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.
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Condition 5: Community Engagement – Strengthening Partnerships and Collective Impact
March 17, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
This session explores how academic nursing programs can establish and sustain meaningful partnerships with communities to advance health, enhance education, and prepare practice-ready graduates. Grounded in the AACN Ecosystem of Excellence in Academic Nursing, the session focuses on the Community Engagement Condition within the Operational Core, emphasizing that authentic, reciprocal relationships are essential to academic excellence and social impact.
Participants will examine how community-engaged partnerships enrich learning, support workforce development, and strengthen alignment between academic missions and public needs. The session highlights strategies for designing community-based experiences that build trust, promote shared learning, and address real-world health priorities—particularly those affecting under-resourced or historically underserved populations.
Attention will also be given to integrating technology, global perspectives, and accountability measures that ensure long-term impact and mutual benefit. By linking community partnerships to the Humanistic Conditions of connection, value, and purpose—and to AACN’s Access, Connection, and Engagement (ACE) vision—this session demonstrates how meaningful engagement bridges education, practice, and policy to create enduring pathways for excellence and collective well-being.
Learning Outcomes
After participating in this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Explain the value of sustained, reciprocal community engagement in preparing students, supporting faculty and staff, and advancing institutional relevance.
- Evaluate how community partnerships influence student learning, clinical competence, and understanding of health systems and population needs.
- Apply strategies to design, evaluate, and strengthen community-based experiences that promote mutual benefit, trust, and long-term connection between nursing programs and the populations they serve.
- Describe how the Community Engagement Condition within the Operational Core supports the ACE vision by connecting academic nursing with communities to achieve shared goals for education, health, and workforce readiness.
About the Ecosystem
The AACN Ecosystem of Excellence in Academic Nursing is a comprehensive, evidence-informed framework that aligns mission, people, and systems to create environments where all students, staff, and faculty can thrive.
At its foundation are the Humanistic Conditions—Healthy, Psychologically Safe, Connected, Supported, Valued, and Prepared—that enable individuals to achieve their best. These are integrated through the Ecosystem’s three Cores:
- Human Core, which centers on the Humanistic Conditions that foster well-being and engagement.
- Operational Core, which aligns systems and strategies through five Institutional Conditions: Infrastructure and Capacity, Climate and Intergroup Relations, Education and Scholarship, Access and Success, and Community Engagement.
- Institutional Core, which grounds excellence in shared culture through five Cultural Conditions: Mission, Vision, Values, Traditions, and Norms.
The Operational Core is supported by a digital Ecosystem Toolkit that translates the framework into actionable strategies and measurable outcomes, including:
- Strategies that strengthen policies, practices, and structures
- Scenarios illustrating real-world challenges and solutions—each intentionally linked to the Humanistic Conditions of the Ecosystem and aligned with relevant AACN Essentials
- Reflection questions that promote dialogue, planning, and innovation
- Dashboards and planning tools to monitor pr ogress and outcomes
- Curated supporting literature that provides evidence and context for implementation
Speakers
Speaker
Wanda Thruston, DNP, APRN, RN
Director of Access and Engagement
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
Dr. Wanda Thruston, Director of Access and Engagement at AACN, is a national and international leader in academic nursing and advancing fair and just access to health and well-being for all, with expertise in institutional transformation, leadership development, and systems-level strategy. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar Fellow, she brings decades of experience in clinical practice with under-resourced populations, health policy, and academic leadership.
At AACN, Dr. Thruston led the development and implementation of the Ecosystem of Excellence in Academic Nursing, a strategic framework designed to enhance institutional effectiveness and promote the success of students, staff, and faculty. She provides technical assistance, training, and consultation to HRSA-funded nursing schools and AACN member institutions—supporting strategies to expand access, strengthen student achievement, improve the institutional climate, and build academic environments where all individuals feel supported and prepared to succeed.
Previously, she served as Special Assistant to the Dean at Indiana University School of Nursing, where she led the development of the Diversity Strategic Plan and co-created a university-wide pathway for DEI faculty promotion. She also led a large-scale assessment of health and well-being for Indiana’s second-largest K–12 district to inform fair and effective resource allocation that meets the needs of all students. Dr. Thruston is committed to advancing environments where students, staff, and faculty thrive.
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Driving Precision Health Integration into Nursing Practice
March 12, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
This webinar is hosted by AACN’s Research Leadership Network (RLN).
Webinar Details
Precision Health is an innovative and personalized approach to healthcare tailored to the individual. It draws on unique genomic information alongside socioeconomic and cultural influence, as well as environmental and lifestyle factors to support individualized, person-centered care.
Although Precision Health has led to significant advancements in healthcare, its adoption within nursing practice remains limited. A major barrier to integration is the absence of clear implementation guidelines. Nurses generally recognize the value of Precision Health in enhancing person-centered care and support its inclusion in nursing practice; however, confidence in how to effectively integrate it remains comparatively low.
This webinar is hosted by AACN’s Research Leadership Network (RLN).
- Participants will be able to explain what Precision Health is and discuss its advantages for person-centered care.
- Participants will be able to identify the current barriers to integrating Precision Health into nursing practice, including the lack of clear implementation guidelines and limited confidence among nurses.
- Participants will be able to reflect on and describe ways to incorporate Precision Health principles into their own nursing practice.
Speakers
Speakers
Evangeline Fangonil-Gagalang, PhD, MSN, RN
Associate Dean & Associate Professor
Azusa Pacific University
President
California Association of Colleges of Nursing
Precision Health & Genomics Work Group Co-Chair
American Nurses Association
Dr. Evangeline Fangonil-Gagalang is Associate Dean and Associate Professor at Azusa Pacific University in California, with over 25 years of nursing experience in medical-surgical and emergency care. She is President of the California Association of Colleges of Nursing and formerly chaired the Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Committee of the Association of California Nurse Leaders. Dr. Gagalang co-chairs the American Nurses Association's Precision Health and Genomics work group, helping to develop competencies for Precision Health and update the Genomics Nursing competencies. She was co-primary investigator on the All of Us research grant, a partnership with the NIH to gather 1 million health samples. In 2025, she received the Excellence in Nursing Education Award from the American Nurses Association - California, and authored a national study on nurses' capacity in Precision Health.
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From Partnership to Impact: Building an Exemplary Academic–Practice Partnership
March 10, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
Many academic–practice partnerships remain informal and transactional, focused primarily on student clinical placements rather than long-term workforce sustainability, scholarship, and systems level impact. This webinar explores how intentionally designed academic–practice partnerships—built on shared governance, mutual investment, and measurable outcomes—can strengthen both academic and health system missions. Participants will examine strategies for moving from partnership in name to partnership that delivers enduring workforce, educational, and practice outcomes.
The speakers of this session are winners of the AACN Exemplary Academic-Practice Partnership Awards.
Outcomes:
- Describe the structural foundations of an exemplary academic–practice partnership grounded in shared governance and mutual accountability.
- Identify strategies to strengthen the undergraduate-to-workforce pipeline, including retention, readiness, and cost savings for health systems.
- Explain how practice-based scholarship is accelerated through embedded nurse scientist and clinical research infrastructure models.
- Discuss emerging directions for sustainable partnership growth, including CNL/DNP practices, faculty practice integration, and system-level impact.
Speakers
Speakers
Molly Kokenge, PhD, RN, CNL, CEN
Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships and Practice
University of Nevada
Dr. Molly Kokenge is an Associate Professor and the inaugural Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships and Practice at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Orvis School of Nursing (OSN). She leads initiatives that strengthen partnerships to advance OSN’s Mission of education, research, and practice. Dr. Kokenge oversees the OSN’s Faculty Practice Plan, a mission-driven program designed to address health equity through faculty-led care delivery and systems-focused practice initiatives. Drawing on her background in emergency nursing and systems leadership, Dr. Kokenge’s research examines health behavior engagement and adherence among populations historically marginalized from care, with a strong emphasis on policy-driven systemic change.
Loni Jones, MSN, RN, CNL
Student Coordinator
Renown Health
Loni Jones serves as a Student Coordinator and Adjunct Clinical Faculty at the Orvis School of Nursing, where she plays a key role in advancing student learning and clinical readiness. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the Gerald “Jerry” Smith Academic Practice Partnership, ensuring smooth coordination that supports student success and seamless transitions into professional nursing practice. With a strong foundation in nursing education and a clinical nurse leader's background, Loni brings a collaborative, systems-focused approach to her work. Her leadership fosters meaningful improvements across both acute care and academic environments, contributing to high-quality clinical experiences and impactful practice transformations.
Shannon Richard, PhD, RN, CHSE
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor
University of Nevada
Dr. Shannon Richard is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the Orvis School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Reno. She is an accomplished nurse educator and researcher with more than thirteen years of teaching experience across undergraduate, associate-to-baccalaureate, and accelerated nursing programs. She brings a dynamic, student-centered approach to nursing education grounded in civility, approachability, and continuous evaluation and refinement to support student success and professional development.
Her areas of expertise include pathophysiology, pharmacology, clinical development, simulation, and emergency and acute care nursing. Dr. Richard integrates innovative pedagogical strategies into both didactic and clinical settings, including conceptual learning frameworks, flipped classroom models, and advanced educational technologies to enhance engagement, clinical reasoning, and knowledge application.
Dr. Richard earned her PhD in Nursing Science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and holds master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees in nursing. Her research focuses on health disparities affecting Hispanic/Latinx populations, gender-ethnic differences in disease processes, and the intersection of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and psychological well-being. She has a particular interest in modifiable lifestyle factors and early electrocardiographic abnormalities as predictors of disease risk. She has held national certifications in emergency nursing, nursing education, and healthcare simulation. Her excellence in teaching has been widely recognized, including the F. Donald Tibbitts Distinguished Teaching Award, multiple Most Inspirational Faculty Awards from the Orvis School of Nursing, and the Sigma Nu Iota Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educator. Dr. Richard is deeply committed to optimizing the student experience, strengthening academic-practice partnerships, and advancing innovative nursing education to improve workforce readiness and health outcomes.
Charles Yingling, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
University of Nevada
Dr. Charles Yingling is Dean and Professor of the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he provides strategic leadership to advance and sustain academic–practice partnerships that strengthen nursing education, workforce development, and health system impact.
Dr. Yingling serves as a steward of the long-standing partnership between the Orvis School of Nursing and Renown Health, which was established prior to his tenure and later formalized as the Gerald “Jerry” Smith Academic–Practice Partnership. Building on this strong foundation, he has focused on strengthening the partnership’s structure, visibility, and outcomes, supporting its evolution into a nationally recognized model and its designation as a 2025 AACN Exemplary Academic–Practice Partnership. Under his leadership, the partnership has expanded its focus on sustainable workforce pipelines, transition-to-practice alignment, and practice-based scholarship. These efforts include advancing tuition-supported pathways, enhancing retention of new graduate nurses, supporting embedded nurse scientist roles, and developing systems-focused graduate practica that align academic preparation with health system priorities. His approach emphasizes shared governance, mutual investment, and measurable outcomes that benefit both academic and clinical partners.
Dr. Yingling’s scholarly and leadership interests center on academic–community–clinical partnerships, faculty practice integration, and the role of nursing leadership in improving access to care, particularly in rural and frontier settings. He is actively engaged in national nursing leadership and policy conversations focused on the future of nursing education and the nursing workforce.
Melodie Osborn, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC
Chief Nurse Executive
Renown Health
Melodie Osborn is Chief Nurse Executive at Renown Health, where she provides executive leadership for nursing practice across the organization and serves as the professional voice for more than 2,700 nurses. As a member of Renown’s executive leadership team, she is responsible for advancing patient-centered care by fostering high-quality, consistent nursing practice across acute, ambulatory, and community settings. In her role, Ms. Osborn is a key practice leader in Renown’s long-standing academic–practice partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno Orvis School of Nursing. She has played an integral role in sustaining and strengthening this partnership, helping to align nursing education, workforce development, and practice priorities to support the preparation and retention of nurses in Nevada. Her leadership emphasizes shared accountability, practice readiness, and the integration of nursing education with real-world clinical and system needs. Ms. Osborn began her career in critical care and cardiovascular services and previously served as Administrative Director for Critical Care and Cardiovascular Services at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. She joined Renown Health in 2011 and has held progressive leadership roles supporting nursing excellence and professional development.
She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Nevada, Reno, and her Master of Business Administration in Health Care Administration from Columbia Southern University. Ms. Osborn served as President of the Nevada Organization for Nurse Leaders in 2015 and is currently active in the re-incorporation of the group.
She is deeply committed to advancing nursing leadership and partnering with academic colleagues to strengthen the nursing workforce and improve patient and community outcomes.
Erin VanKirk, DNP, RN, NE-BC
Director of Nursing Education
Renown Health
Dr. Erin VanKirk is Director of Nursing Education at Renown Health, where she leads strategic initiatives to strengthen clinical learning environments, advance simulation-enhanced education, and support workforce readiness in collaboration with academic partners. In this role, Dr. VanKirk drives training innovation for nurses and interprofessional learners and aligns educational programs with system priorities that support high-quality care and professional excellence. She has been instrumental in expanding Renown’s clinical training infrastructure, including implementation of the Helmsley Simulation Center, a state-of-the-art facility that enhances experiential learning and prepares clinicians for complex practice across diverse settings. This work directly supports the full scope of the academic–practice partnership between Renown Health and the Orvis School of Nursing, strengthening student preparation, transition-to-practice success, and ongoing professional development. Dr. VanKirk began her nursing career as a frontline clinician and has since built a career focused on education, mentorship, and transformational learning design. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and is board-certified in nursing leadership. Her professional interests include simulation-based pedagogy, competency-based progression, and creating supportive learning ecologies that connect academic preparation with real-world clinical expectations.
Committed to cultivating the next generation of nurses, Dr. VanKirk champions partnerships that bridge academic preparation with health system workforce needs and elevate the role of nursing education as a driver of clinical excellence and patient-centered outcomes.
Kristen Gurnea, MPH, CCRC, ACRP-PM
Director of Clinical Research
Renown Health
Kristen Gurnea is Director of Clinical Research at Renown Health, where she leads the health system’s clinical research infrastructure and works to expand access to innovative clinical trials that support patient care and evidence-generation. In this role, she oversees the design, implementation, and operational excellence of research activities while fostering collaboration among clinicians, academic partners, and research staff to improve health outcomes and build research capacity.
Ms. Gurnea’s leadership bridges frontline clinical learning, research workforce development, and academic–practice scholarship. She is a passionate advocate for integrating clinical research as a care option and for creating training pathways that align research with broader clinical and educational missions. Her work contributes directly to advancing mutually beneficial academic–practice partnerships by strengthening opportunities for students, clinicians, and learners to engage in research that informs practice and system improvement. She holds a Master of Public Health and is a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator and ACRP-PM (Association of Clinical Research Professionals – Program Manager), credentials that reflect her expertise in research operations, regulatory oversight, and strategic program growth. Her professional interests include expanding community-centered research, building research workforce pipelines, and supporting evidence-based innovation within health systems.
Alexa Colgrove Curtis, PhD, MPH, APRN, FAANP, FAAN
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation & Endowed Professor
University of Nevada
Dr. Alexa Colgrove Curtis is a nursing scholar with extensive experience in nursing education, research, clinical practice partnerships, and academic leadership. Her work prioritizes improving access to high-quality healthcare for underserved populations, with particular emphasis on rural communities, integrated behavioral health in primary care, the prevention and management of substance use disorders, and adolescent health. She has led and contributed to multiple funded workforce development initiatives aimed at expanded access to care and strengthening the pipeline of nursing practitioners prepared to serve underserved communities. Dr. Curtis is the co-editor of Nurse Practitioner Clinical Education: A Guide for Educators, Preceptors, and Clinical Partners. In her role as Administrative Lead of the Office of Research and Innovation at the Orvis School of Nursing, she focuses on developing clinical and community partnerships that support community-engaged scholarships, with particular attention to nursing care delivery and nurse-sensitive outcomes.
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Designing Nursing Curricula for Competency-Based Education: The Role of Simulation Scenarios
January 28, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (ET)
Webinar Details
In the Essentials Competency Assessment Framework, AACN recognizes that effective assessment requires educational methodologies that support faculty in creating meaningful experiential learning opportunities. To advance this work, the AACN Assessment Expert Working Group established the Scenario Subgroup to design templates for entry- and advanced-level simulation experiences that foster learner development as described in Miller’s Pyramid. This webinar will highlight the resources, core tenets, and strategies for incorporating formative assessment through the use of these nursing practice simulation scenarios to support the development and assessment of AACN competencies.
Outcomes:
- Describe how experiential learning and formative assessment are integrated within the Essentials Competency Assessment Framework to support learner development.
- Demonstrate how to use AACN nursing practice simulation scenarios to support teaching and learning, with an emphasis on progressing learner performance along Miller’s Pyramid.
- Develop strategies for implementing nursing practice simulation scenarios to support the assessment and demonstration of AACN competencies.
Speakers
Speakers
Carol F. Durham, EdD, MSN, RN, ANEF, FAAN
Professor Emeritus
University of North Carolina School of Nursing
Dr. Carol Durham is Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing. Over her 45-year tenure, she served as Director of the Education–Innovation–Simulation Learning Environment, overseeing skill acquisition and simulation-based learning across prelicensure and graduate nursing programs. She has also held multiple leadership roles within the School of Nursing, including Faculty Chair and the Inaugural Director of Interprofessional Education & Practice.
Dr. Durham is recognized as a national and international leader in the fields of quality and safety, simulation and interprofessional education. A past President of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL), she collaborated with the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and other experts to establish simulation guidelines for nursing programs. As a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) project, Dr. Durham’s work has had a sustained impact on preparing faculty to integrate quality, safety, and evidence-based pedagogy into their teaching.
She is a contributor to the AACN Essentials Assessment Expert Working Group and chairs the AACN Essentials Scenario Working Group, leading national efforts to integrate simulation as a methodology for coaching students to meet the AACN Essentials.
Dr. Durham continues to support prelicensure students in developing strong clinical reasoning and judgment skills through robust case-based learning and situated coaching/debriefing. She has an extensive record of publications and is frequently invited to present nationally and internationally on simulation and healthcare education.
Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the 2023 Society for Simulation in Healthcare Director of the Year, INACSL’s 2018 “Spirit of Simulation” Leadership Excellence Award, the 2017 Presidentia l Citation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, and the 2025 DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), the National League for Nursing Academy of Nursing Education (ANEF), and the Society for Simulation in Healthcare Academy (FSSH).
Jennifer T. Alderman, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL, CNE, CHSE, NEA-BC
Clinical Professor & Interprofessional Education and Practice Director
UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing
Dr. Jennifer T. Alderman is a Clinical Professor and Director of Interprofessional Education and Practice at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Nursing, where she has been a faculty member for over 15 years. As Interprofessional Education and Practice (IPEP) Director of the school, she works to ensure that IPE and simulation are integrated across programs and properly leveled across the curriculum. Dr. Alderman and colleagues have presented nationally and internationally about simulation outcomes, including the impact of virtual simulation on the clinical judgment in pre-licensure nursing students. She has published in the Journal of Interprofessional Care and the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, co-authored book chapters on simulation in Quality and Safety in Nursing: A Competency Approach to Improving Outcomes (3rd ed.), Clinical Simulation in Nursing: From Conceptualization to Evaluation (3rd ed.), Reflective Practice: Reimagining Ourselves, Reimagining Nursing (3rd ed.), and
The Nexus between Nursing and Patient Safety and has given over 25 presentations at national and international conferences over the past decade. Dr. Alderman is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, American Nurses Association, North Carolina Nurses Association, and a lifetime member of the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL). Dr. Alderman chaired INACSL's Membership Engagement Committee where she worked on webinars, national conference planning, and served as the inaugural season one host of the Let’s Talk Sim podcast.
Leah Burt, PhD, APRN-FPA, ANP-BC, CHSE, FAANP
Clinical Assistant Professor
Director, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program
Director of Simulation Assessment & Research, M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning & Simulation Laboratory
University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing
Dr. Leah Burt is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing, as well as Director of Simulation Research in the College of Nursing's M. Christine Schwartz Experiential Learning and Simulation Laboratory. After completing her PhD in Nursing Science with a focus on diagnostic reasoning, Dr. Burt engaged in postdoctoral training as a Fellow in Diagnostic Excellence through the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine as well as postdoctoral training in simulation education and research. She is a current Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Faculty Scholar. A Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator, Dr. Burt’s scholarship blends expertise in educational design with mixed methodology research to discover evidence-based ways to assess and enhance learner competency through innovative simulation. Dr. Burt collaborates with nurse practitioner educators across the country and her leadership has been honored with the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine’s Emerging Leader Rising Star Award, the Barbara Berger Excellence in Teaching Award, and the DAISY Faculty Award for extraordinary educational contributions.
Mindi Anderson, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, CNE, CHSOS, CHSE-A, ANEF, FSSH, FAAN
Associate Dean for Simulation and Immersive Learning
Professor
Director for Healthcare Simulation Program
University of Central Florida
Dr. Mindi Anderson is an early pioneer in healthcare simulation education who is today one of the world’s foremost experts in the field. She is the inaugural and current program director of the Healthcare Simulation graduate program at the UCF College of Nursing. Anderson’s research, which includes virtual and game-based simulation, new simulation technologies, standardized patients, interprofessional education using simulation and use of simulation in preparing students for nursing practice, has been widely published and presented both nationally and internationally. Her findings over the last 14 years have advanced nursing science and helped to establish best practices in healthcare simulation education. In addition, Anderson is part of an interdisciplinary team at UCF that has been issued two patents on advances in simulation and training.