NLN Announces Keynote & Faculty Meeting Speakers for Global Virtual Education Summit
National League for Nursing Announces Keynote & Faculty Meeting Speakers for Global Virtual Education Summit
Master of Teaching—Art of Leadership: September 23-25, 2020
Washington, DC — As the time draws closer to the 2020 NLN Education Summit: Master of Teaching—Art of Leadership, the National League for Nursing has locked down distinguished speakers for key presentations, guaranteeing a meaningful experience for everyone joining this fall’s premier virtual global event for the nursing education community and others who choose to attend.
“We understand this is a challenging time for nurse educators, deans and directors, nursing students, and professionals in a host of affiliated health care systems and organizations to make time for reflection. The NLN Education Summit is the perfect opportunity to take a step back and gain valuable knowledge, insights and perspective from leading experts and scholars in nursing education and health care,” said NLN President Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAONL, FAAN, Professor and Dean Emerita at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and president of The Wise Group. “We are confident that our choices of keynote speaker and main presenter at the Faculty Meeting will engage and enlighten this distinguished audience.”
NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, said, “On behalf of the National League for Nursing, I express the League’s deep appreciation to our speakers for sharing the wisdom of their experience to advance the health of our nation and the global community, in alignment with our mission and core values.”
Rear Adm. (RADM) Susan Orsega, director of the Commissioned Corps Headquarters (CCHQ), responsible for the diverse functions of the 6,500-odd members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (USPHS), will serve as the Keynote Speaker.
In her current role at the CCHQ, RADM Orsega is the principal advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General on activities and policies related to Commissioned Corps training, preparedness, activation, deployment, and total force fitness. She was promoted to director from her previous position as chief nurse officer of the USPHS, in which she advised the office of the Surgeon General and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention, and career development of nurse professionals and provided leadership to 4,500 Commissioned Corps and civilian nurses.
RADM Orsega’s exemplary career in public service has been dedicated to research, treatment, and policy surrounding national and global disasters, pandemics, and health emergencies, including the spread, containment, and mitigation of infectious diseases. She was a key player at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, working with an international team of nurses and researchers in Africa as they pioneered human vaccine trials in response to the Ebola crisis on the continent. Her career began in 1989 at NIH as part of the Commissioned Corps of the USPHS during the unfolding of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
A nurse practitioner, she took her clinical experience to the next level, helping to advance scientific understanding and approaches to treatment of the disease through publication of scholarly papers and presentations, and becoming expert in advanced nursing practice, health diplomacy, and disaster response. RADM Orsega earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from Towson University and a master’s of science from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences Nurse Practitioner program. In 2013, she was inducted as a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. In 2016, RADM Orsega was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing.
The 2020 Faculty Meeting Speaker will be Georges Benjamin, MD, one of the nation’s most influential physician-leaders. A passionate, eloquent voice on the many issues impacting health care practice and policy today, Dr. Benjamin has identified lack of access to affordable, effective preventative and well care as one of the dire threats to public health. As the executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), he is leading the push to transform health care and make the U.S. the healthiest nation in the world within a generation.
Prior to being tapped to lead APHA, Dr. Benjamin was secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He occupied that position since 1999, following four years as the state’s deputy secretary for public health services, during which time he oversaw the expansion of Medicaid in Maryland. A Maryland native, he graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He is board-certified in internal medicine and a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.
A respected administrator, prolific author and editor, and polished orator, Dr. Benjamin began his medical career in 1981 in Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a 72,000-patient visit ambulatory care service as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic at the Madigan Army Medical Center and was an attending physician within the Department of Emergency Medicine. A few years later, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of emergency medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Dr. Benjamin is a member of the National Academy of Medicine (Formally the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and also serves on the boards for many organizations including Research!America and the Reagan-Udall Foundation. In 2008, 2014 and 2016, he was named one of the top 25 minority executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine.
Complete information about the 2020 NLN Education Summit, including online registration, can be found at Summit.NLN.org.