AJN The American Journal of Nursing - Conversations

**Beth Wathen, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, and Amanda Bettencourt, PhD, APRN, CCRN-K, ACCNS-P, of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses** May 26, 2022
*AJN* editor-in-chief emerita Shawn Kennedy interviews American Association of Critical-Care Nurses president Beth Wathen and president-elect Amanda Bettencourt.

**Theresa Brown, PhD, RN, New York Times columnist, AJN contributing editor, and author of a new book, Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient** Apr 25, 2022
*AJN* AJN editor-in-chief emerita Shawn Kennedy and Theresa Brown discuss Brown’s new book, Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient (Algonquin Books, 2022), about her experience being diagnosed with breast cancer. In the book, Brown details her journey as a patient and shares her nursing perspective on how the U.S. health care system can do better.

Regina Cunningham, NAM Future of Nursing 2020-2030 committee member, CEO of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and adjunct professor and assistant dean for clinical practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Jun 23, 2021
*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Regina Cunningham about the new National Academy of Medicine (NAM) consensus report, *The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity.*

**AJN editorial board member and school nurse Robin Cogan and nurse researcher Shoshana Aronowitz** Apr 21, 2021

*AJN* Robin Cogan speaks with Shoshana Aronowitz about Aronowitz’s unique career pathway.

**Howard Catton, chief executive officer of the International Council of Nurses (ICN)** Apr 21, 2021

*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Howard Catton about major issues facing nurses and the ICN’s postpandemic priorities.

**Elizabeth Bridges, president of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses** Nov 19, 2020

*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews Elizabeth Bridges about her role as AACN president, COVID-19, and more.

**Brent Whitaker, MS, MSN, RN, ACSM, cardiovascular ICU nurse manager at the Cleveland Clinic (August 2020)** Jul 06, 2020
*AJN* clinical editor Betsy Todd speaks with Brent Whitaker about his experience traveling to New York City in April 2020 to care for patients with COVID-19.

**Caitlin Doane, BSN, RN, ED nurse at Cayuga Medical Center (August 2020)** Jul 06, 2020
*AJN* clinical editor Betsy Todd speaks with Caitlin Doane about her experience traveling to New York City in April 2020 to care for patients with COVID-19.

Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, CEO of the National League for Nursing (April 2020) Jun 10, 2020

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing, about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting nursing schools.

**Charlene Harrington, PhD, RN, Professor Emerita, University of California San Francisco (June 2020)** Jun 10, 2020
*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Charlene Harrington about how nursing homes have been affected by COVID-19.

Dan Savitt, executive vice president and chief financial officer of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and Ruth Caballero, visiting nurse (April 2020) Jun 10, 2020

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Dan Savitt and Ruth Caballero of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting their work.

Robin Cogan, MEd, RN, NCSN, school nurse in the Camden, New Jersey, school system, and faculty member at Rutgers University-Camden (April 2020) Jun 10, 2020

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Robin Cogan about her role as a school nurse and how school nursing has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

**Donna Meyer, chief executive officer of the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing** May 01, 2020
*AJN* clinical editor Betsy Todd speaks with Donna Meyer about new collaborations that strengthen AD nursing education, and how AD education fits into the larger picture of the future of nursing.

**Lisa Kennedy Sheldon, PhD, APRN-BC, AOCNP, chief clinical officer of the Oncology Nursing Society** Apr 07, 2020
In this podcast with *AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, Lisa Kennedy Sheldon discusses special COVID-19–related concerns for patients undergoing chemotherapy and for nurses who now may not have protective equipment necessary for handling toxic medications.

COVID-19 for Nurses: Skip the Rumors and Stick to the Basics Mar 17, 2020

An audio version of a blog post by AJN clinical editor Betsy Todd, published February 28, 2020, on what nurses should know about COVID-19 (https://ajnoffthecharts.com/covid-19-for-nurses-skip-the-rumors-and-stick-to-the-basics).

**Pam Cipriano, PhD, RN, FAAN** Dec 21, 2019
*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy discusses The Year of the Nurse and Midwife with Pam Cipriano, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the University of Virginia School of Nursing in Charlottesville, past president of the American Nurses Association, and current first vice president of the International Council of Nurses.

**Patricia Kunz Howard, 2019 president of the Emergency Nurses Association** Oct 24, 2019
*AJN* editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Emergency Nurses Association president Patricia Kunz Howard at the Emergency Nursing 2019 meeting in Austin, Texas.

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with American Association of Nurse Practitioners president Joyce Knestrick, who is featured in On the Road with AJN. Aug 22, 2018

At the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in Denver, AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy sat down with Joyce Knestrick to discuss the rapid growth of NPs.

AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Rear Admiral Susan Orsega, chief nurse officer of the U.S. Public Health Service, who is featured in On the Road with AJN. Aug 22, 2018

t the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners in Denver, AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy got a chance to chat with Susan Orsega, the conference’s keynote speaker.

Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy, interviews Debbie Wilson, RN, author of the AJN Off the Charts blog post on Ebola from November 12, 2014. Dec 17, 2014

An IV infusion therapist with the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Debbie Wilson describes her experience in Liberia, where she worked with Doctors Without Borders at a 120-bed Ebola treatment center.

**Interview with Beverly Malone, CEO of the National League for Nursing** Sep 26, 2013
AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy sits down with Bev Malone at the NLN Summit in September 2013, in Washington, DC. Discussion ranges from NLN’s recent move of its headquarters to Washington DC from New York City, NLN’s strategies and priorities and status of the nursing faculty shortage.

**Interview with Dan Hartley, epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), August 2013.** Aug 29, 2013
AJN's editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Dr. Hartley, who along with nurse epidemiologist Marilyn Ridenour, led a team to develop a program to educate nurses about workplace violence. The program, a series of online modules, is free and available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/violence/training_nurses.html

See the related blog post at http://wp.me/prthD-43r

**From ICN 2013: Interview with ICN President Rosemary Bryant** May 31, 2013
AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviewed outgoing ICN president Rosemary Bryant in Melbourne, Australia, site of the 25th Quadrennial Congress. Bryant, who is Australia’s chief nurse and midwifery officer, spoke about her accomplishments and challenges, including recent issues around dues, governance changes and the suspension of the Royal College of Nursing.

**Interview with Former Chief of Army Nurse Corps Brigadier General (RET) Bill Bester** Oct 12, 2012
Brigadier General (RET) Bill Bester MSN, RN, NEA-BC speaks with editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy about health care for veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The majority of these new veterans will access care outside of the VA health system and it’s important that nurses in all clinical settings be aware of the health issues of this emerging population.

**Interview with Carolyn Jones, author/photographer of a new book of nurses’ portraits, The American Nurse (AJN This Month: On the Cover, 2012)** Aug 29, 2012
Associate editor Alison Bulman interviews Carolyn Jones, who discusses her new book, *The American Nurse*. Rhonda Collins, MSN, RN, came up with the idea for the book as part of the American Nurse Project. Collins is vice president and business manager of infusion therapy/clinical nutrition company Fresenius Kabi USA, which supported the project. Jones traveled the country in search of “the best of the best” nurses, from those working with coal miners with black lung disease, to prison inmates, veterans, and some of the nation’s poorest populations. Knowing nothing about nurses when starting the project, by the end, Jones understood what nurses really do, witnessed how much of themselves they bring to patient care, and her 75 black-and-white portraits of them tell their stories with heart and profound respect.

**Interview with Charles Kaiman, creator of the cover painting for the September 2011 issue** Aug 26, 2011
Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy chats with Charles Kaiman, an artist whose work has been featured over the years in AJN. Kaiman is also a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist who works with veterans suffering from PTSD. They discuss his cover painting, “America the Beautiful,” his recollections of 9/11, and how his work and his art balance each other.

**From ICN 2011: Interview with Danish Nurses Association president Grete Christensen** May 06, 2011
Although Denmark and the United States have very different health care systems, the nursing issues are remarkably similar. Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy spoke with Grete Christensen about what the health and nursing issues are.

**From ICN 2011: Interview with Swaziland nurse Masitsela Mhlanga** May 06, 2011
Editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy speaks with Masitsela Mhlanga, former president of the Swaziland Nurses Association and the nurse credited with initiating the Swaziland Wellness Center for Health Care Workers. The center (which has now been replicated in other African countries) is credited for stemming the migration of nurses from Swaziland, which, with a prevalence of 26% of the adult population, has the highest prevalence of HIV in the world.

**Interview with Flight Nurses Scott DeBoer and Teri Campbell** Apr 26, 2011
AJN’s editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews these flight nurses about their jobs, their career choices, and issues around providing care in a challenging environment.

**Interview with Mary Townsend, ScD** Mar 30, 2011
Mary Townsend, ScD, author of the April original research, “Rates of Remission, Improvement, and Progression of Urinary Incontinence in Asian, Black, and White Women”, speaks with AJN’s editor in chief Shawn Kennedy and clinical editor Christine Moffa about her research. Townsend is an instructor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Interview with Texas nurses Vickilyn Galle, Anne Mitchell and colleague Naomi Warren. Feb 24, 2011

Texas Nurse Whistleblowers, One Year Later – Part 1
In this first part of a two-part interview, AJN editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy talks with Texas nurses Vickilyn Galle, Anne Mitchell and colleague Naomi Warren about their roles and experiences as whistleblowers, when they felt patients were receiving unsafe and inappropriate care by a physician. The case involves small-town politics and collusion that resulted in arrest and criminal charges, prosecution of Anne Mitchell, and finally acquittal in February 2010 on all charges.

Part 2 of interview with Texas nurses Vickilyn Galle, Anne Mitchell and colleague Naomi Warren. Feb 24, 2011

Texas Nurse Whistleblowers, One Year Later – Part 2
The second in a two-part podcast (see part 1 for description).

**Interview with Mary Stachowiak, MSN, RN, CNL** Jan 27, 2011
AJN's editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy caught-up with Mary Stachowiak, president of the fledgling Clinical Nurse Leader Association (CNLA), in Miami on January 21 at the 2011 CNL Summit. They discussed the fairly new role of the CNL and how these "advanced generalists" work alongside clinical nurse specialists and nurse managers.

**Interview with ANA CEO Marla Weston** Nov 24, 2010
Interim editor-in-chief Shawn Kennedy interviews Marla Weston, CEO of the American Nurses Association, on the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine’s report, *The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health*. The interview took place on October 5th, in Washington, DC at the National Press Club, immediately after the press briefing and the release of the report.

Interview with with Kelly Vanfossen, wife of Christopher A. Vanfossen, an army nurse and author of our new column, *Letters From Afghanistan* Oct 26, 2010
Interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, speaks with Kelly Vanfossen, wife of Christopher A. Vanfossen, an army nurse and author of our new column, *Letters From Afghanistan*, about how her husband’s deployment impacts her and their four young children.

**Interview with AACN incoming president Kristine Peterson, and outgoing president Beth Hammer.** May 21, 2010
Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews AACN incoming president Kristine Peterson, and outgoing president Beth Hammer at the 2010 NTI.

**Interview with Susan Hassmiller** Jan 26, 2010
At a press conference held January 20 in Washington, DC, editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Susan Hassmiller, senior adviser for nursing at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, about the results of a Gallup poll commissioned by the Foundation, to find out what 1,500 opinion leaders think about nurses’ influence in health care decisions.

**Interview with Brenda Cleary** Dec 23, 2009
Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Brenda Cleary, director of the Center to Champion Nursing in America at AARP, about its collaborative work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and government labor agencies in promoting strategies to increase education capacity of schools to prepare more nurses for the future. AJN will disseminate the work of this collaboration in a series of articles, “Uniting States, Sharing Strategies”, debuting in January 2010 and running through July.

**Interview with Carol Huston** Nov 25, 2009
Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews Carol Huston, immediate past-president of Sigma Theta Tau International at the association's 40th Biennial Convention in Indianapolis, October 31 to November 4.

Interview with Bernadette Melnyk & Ellen Fineout-Overholt Oct 28, 2009

Editorial director & interim editor-in-chief, Shawn Kennedy, interviews authors Bernadette Melnyk, and Ellen Fineout-Overholt from ASU College of Nursing, about their new series, “Evidence-Based Practice, Step by Step”, debuting in November. The year-long series will be a guide for organizations to follow along to implement evidence-based practice.