Colleen Leners is the Director of Policy at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in Washington, D.C. AACN serves as the voice of academic nursing, encompassing education, research, and practice. Dr. Leners was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow in the office of Senator John Thune (R-SD) of the Senate Finance Committee. Colleen serves on the Case Western Reserve Alumni Board and many committees for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She has maintained an active family nurse practitioner practice for over 26 years and has served our country in the United States Army Nurse Corps. She has many notable achievements both civilian and military and was inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and in American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Leners was awarded the Bronze Star for her service overseas.

Dr. Leners served as a Traumatic Brian Injury Program manager, created a nurse-managed primary care clinic for Wounded Warriors at Navy Medical Center San Diego (C5). She has also been a registered nurse and nurse practitioner for nearly four decades.

She received her DNP in Leadership from Case Western Reserve University, MSN FNP from University of San Diego and her BSN from California State University Dominguez Hills.

Joelle Fathi is an Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist who has dedicated the majority of her clinical career to oncology, including integral roles in thoracic surgery, pulmonary medicine, and lung cancer screening. She is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biobehavioral Nursing and Health Informatics at the University of Washington School of Nursing, has spent over 20 years providing direct patient care, and serves at local, national, and global levels as an expert and advocate in tobacco control.

Dr. Fathi is committed to preventing cancer and chronic disease while optimizing health outcomes through comprehensive patient education and innovation through technology. She has served as the Program Director of telehealth clinics, Director of Nursing Practice and Health Policy for the Washington State Nurses Association and is a member of the Washington State Telehealth Collaborative. Dr. Fathi is the lead or co-author of numerous publications including, Nurses Advancing Telehealth Services in the Era of Healthcare Reform.