Full Agenda

 

CONTACT HOURS — Earn up to 29.0 CH
PHARMACOTHERAPEUTIC HOURS — Earn up to 4.75 CH
Sunday, March 22
11:00am Registration Opens
12:00pm Social Distancing: Patient Provider Engagement (PPE) Strategies to Protect Your Community from the Infodemic
Dr. Kandyce Brennan, DNP, CNM
1:00pm Harm Reduction Toolbox: Strategies to Prevent Opioid Mortality
Dr. Leigh G. Mullen, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
Dr. Beth Mills, PharmD, BCACP, CDCES
2:00pm KEYNOTE | The Business of Nursing
Lynn Rapsilber, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FAANP
3:15pm Refreshment Break
3:30pm NCBON Updates
Dr. Kimberly Luisana, DNP, NP-C
4:30pm Legislative Updates
Monday, March 23
7:00am Registration Opens | Breakfast
8:00am Navigating Evolving Lipid Guidelines: Practical Insights for Nurse Practitioners
Dr. Carrie Palmer, DNP, RN, ANP-BC
9:00am

Rapid Fire Panel

  1. The Pressure Is On: Guideline-driven Blood Pressure Monitoring - Automated and Ambulatory Approaches that Improve Care
    Dr. Leslie Sharpe, FNP-BC
  2. Breaking Through the Pressure: A Practical Guide to Managing Resistant Hypertension
    Dr. Tracy Vernon-Platt, DNP, ANP-NC
  3. Making Hearts Beat: Taking the Fear Out of Caring for Patients with Implantable Devices
    Tonya Carter, DNP, MSN, FNP-C
10:35am

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Dialysis Decoded: What Every Primary Care Provider Needs to Know from the Latest Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) Guidelines
    Dr. Sharona Johnson, PhD, MSN, FNP-BC
  2. Improving Pain Management During IUD Insertion: Best Practices for Patient-centered, Trauma-Informed Care
    Dr. Mariana Da Costa, DNP, RN
    Dr. Brittany Hudgins-Graham, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, CNE(cl), NBC-HWC
    Taming Vaginal Troublemakers: Using Probiotics to Improve and Preserve Vaginal Health
    Dr. Donna Roberson, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC
  3. Start a Practice: Yes You Can!
    Lynn Rapsilber, DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, FAANP
11:35am Exhibit Hall | Poster Presentations
12:35pm Lunch & Nurse Practitioner Council Meeting
2:15pm Break
2:30pm

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Diagnosing Celiac Disease: Algorithm-based Education for Nurse Practitioners
    Dr. Kimberly Barcus, DNP, RN, ACNS-BC, MSRN-BC
  2. Mental Health in Primary Care: Recognizing Unipolar versus Bipolar Depression
    Dr. Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-C, WHNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME
    Dr. Angela Allen, DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC
  3. Level Up Your Precepting: Integrating GPT to Enhance Clinical Education
    Dr. Rachel McInerney, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC
    Dr. Leslie Sharpe, FNP-BC
3:30pm Exhibit Hall & Refreshment Break
4:15pm

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Ready! Set! Pull! Ventilator Weaning Strategies and Readiness
    Dr. Dennis A. Taylor, DNP, PhD, ACNP-BC, FCCM
  2. Tick Bites and Red Meat Allergy: How are they related? Alpha-Gal Syndrome
    Dr. Tamara Link, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
    Dr. Rhonda Y. Vega, DVM
    Mosquito Matters: An Overview of Mosquito-Borne Diseases
    Dr. Katie Alwes, DNP, FNP-C
  3. Beyond Narcan: Understanding the Biopsychosocial Factors in Addiction and Recovery
    Dr. Ramesh C. Upadhyaya, DNP, MSN, MBA, APRN, CRRN, CCHP, FNP-BC
5:15pm Exhibit Hall & Networking
Tuesday, March 24
7:00am Registration Opens | Breakfast
7:00am Exhibit Hall
8:00am

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Recognizing the Rare: A Case of Dapsone-Induced Methemoglobinemia Identified Through Nursing Vigilance and Interprofessional Collaboration
    Dr. Julie Harrison-Swartz, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
    CPT (Ret.) Alfred L. Swartz, BSN, RN
  2. Exploring the Complex Dynamics of Religion, Coming Out, and Mental Health in LGBTQ Individuals
    Dr. Amie Koch, DNP, FNP-C, RN, ACHPN, FAANP
  3. Silent Wishes or Shared Goals? Why Early Advance Care Planning Matters
    Dr. Jamie Lee Rouse, DNP, AGNP-C, ACHPN, CLE
    Rikki Hooper, MBA, MSN, FNP, ACHPN, NE-BC, FPCN
9:05am

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Closing the Loop: Communication and Team-based Care in High-acuity Settings
    Dr. Abigail H.B. Baugh, DNP, AGAC-NP
  2. Beyond Prescribing: Advancing the Fourth "P", Psychotherapy, through EMDR in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practice
    Dr. Anka Roberto, DNP, MPH, PMHNP-BC, APRN, FNAP
  3. Leveraging Generative AI for Enhanced Patient Education in Nurse-led Health Clinics
    Dr. Jean Ann Davison, DNP, FNP-BC, FAAN
10:05am Exhibit Hall
11:00am Lunch & Product Theater
12:00pm Exhibit Hall
12:30pm

Concurrent Sessions

  1. Meniscus Tears: From Buckets to Discoids and Everything in Between
    April Berndt, FNP-BC
  2. Improving Autism Screening: Integrating the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) in Pediatric Primary Care
    Dr. Amber Collins, DNP, PMHNP-BC
    Advancing Adolescent Substance Use Screening and Early Intervention in Primary Care
    Dr. Ann Bell, DNP, APRN, NP-C
    Dr. Chandra Speight, PhD, RN, NP-C, CNE
  3. Menopause, Movement, and Mindfulness: A Holistic Update for the Midlife Women’s Wellness Visit
    Dr. Diane L. Parker, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
    Dr. Erin Wax, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
1:35pm CLOSING KEYNOTE | Mentorship as an Investment: Empowering Nurse Practitioners, Strengthening Organizations
Jennifer Woody, MSN, FNP-C, MHA

The 2026 Nurse Practitioner Spring Symposium schedule is subject to change. Last revised 10/1/2025.