Meet the Trailblazing Cohort Leading Change

With a spotlight on healthcare innovation, HLTH has rapidly become the premier event in the industry. Set for October 2024, this year’s conference is expected to draw over 12,000 healthcare professionals and innovators, ranging from CEOs to investors and key stakeholders. Among the standout attendees is the Nurse Innovation Cohort, a group of forward-thinking nurses selected by NurseApproved to participate in the event. In this article, we’ll explore the remarkable journeys of these nurses and their impact on healthcare innovation.

In an industry constantly evolving with new technologies and approaches, nurses continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of healthcare. Recognizing the power of nurse-driven solutions, NurseApproved has curated a select group of nurses to join the prestigious Nurse Innovation Cohort at HLTH 2024. These trailblazing nurses will not only represent their profession at the largest innovation event in healthcare but will also highlight the critical role nurses play in advancing meaningful change.

“Our goal is to spotlight the remarkable impact of nurse-led innovation, demonstrating that when nurses innovate, they address and solve some of the most urgent challenges in healthcare. By selecting this cohort to represent the profession at HLTH, the largest innovation event in healthcare, we aim to showcase the profound impact nurses have in shaping the future of healthcare,” said Shannon Lunn, NurseApproved Chief of Staff. 

>>Save $250 on your HLTH registration with discount code: Nurse250 

Access Threads: Lydel Wright

Lydel Wright’s healthcare journey began as a caregiver and has seen him matriculate through the clinical ranks to become an RN MSN (as he wraps up his Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University), a path marked by both failures and triumphs but most notably by perseverance. Lydel was blessed to be a part of the inaugural Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellows cohort, a group of nurse leaders dedicated to challenging the status quo in healthcare through innovative thinking and solutions. He is a board-certified Advanced Nurse Executive and continues to make significant contributions to the profession of nursing and the practice of healthcare delivery. Most recently, Lydel joined the international cohort of nurse leaders at Harvard, becoming the first Black American male to complete the prestigious, credit-bearing Certification in Global Public Health Leadership.

Lydel is also the founder of Access Threads, a visionary collective of healthcare textiles committed to “Dignifying Access, Redefining Comfort.” Their products prioritize sustainability and are designed with a patient and clinician-centric focus. This work stands out in the marketplace by being intentional about providing dignified access to patients, improving satisfaction and comfort, reducing infections, and enhancing clinical workflows and efficiency; with the aim to set new healthcare standards while transforming patient care through innovation.

To date, their flagship product, the Access Gown, has challenged the outdated, century-old design of hospital gowns, and they are gearing up to revolutionize other healthcare textiles. The Access Gown benefits both clinicians and patients through bold, new designs, including reversible gowns with functional dignified access points that are MRI-safe, stain-resistant, moisture-wicking, side-tying, and more. These innovations truly enhance patient satisfaction. Leveraging industry-first collaborations with business titans and world-renowned artists to bring bold and unique prints that surpass the stale, boring patterns of current hospital gowns. They have even created the first hospital gown designed to be colored on further supporting the functional and expressive needs of patients of all ages and sizes.

Informed by Lydel’s own experience and the importance of creating dignified access, they have dedicated 10% of all profits to advancing and creating access to economic mobility through healthcare and technology certifications for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. 

Advocates for Nurses: Maggie Ortiz

Maggie is dedicated to being a tireless champion for nurses. She strives to protect nurses’ rights and elevate the nursing profession as a whole. Her mission is to ensure nurses receive education, guidance, and advocacy as it pertains to due process. She offers personalized consultations, educational courses, and expert legal nurse/legal nurse consulting. 

ANP Health: Nelson Hurtado

ANP Health is a pioneering healthcare staffing agency dedicated to sourcing, training, and placing highly skilled healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, in healthcare facilities across the United States. Our primary goal is to bridge the gap between demand and supply in the healthcare industry, focusing on providing superior quality of care by recruiting the finest talent. We specialize in guiding international nurses through the complex process of achieving U.S. licensure and immigration. Our comprehensive support includes assistance with credential evaluations, exam preparations, visa processing, and a transition program to acclimatize nurses to the U.S. healthcare system. ANP Health Services Inc. operates with a deep sense of commitment and integrity, always putting the needs of our healthcare professionals and clients at the forefront. Our team thrives on fostering an environment of support, growth, and continuous learning, ensuring the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders. By striving for excellence and maintaining the highest professional standards, ANP Health Services Inc. continues to be a trusted partner in the healthcare sector, supporting facilities with their staffing needs and helping healthcare professionals realize their career aspirations.

Avail Healthcare: Joe Harrison

Joe is a trailblazer dedicated to making a difference in health care. With a decade of experience leading behavioral health initiatives for a value-based care health plan, Joe shifted his focus to building a digital health company that partners with health plans and ACOs to improve outcomes for adults and seniors with chronic medical and behavioral health needs.

Passionate about connecting the dots to drive positive change, Joe is committed to serving vulnerable and underserved populations. Joe immigrated to the US from England as a young student and, as a first-generation college student, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and later a Master’s of Science in Nursing from Seattle University. His diverse professional background spans international economic development, entrepreneurship in hospitality, and teaching in inner-city schools. Joe is an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, specializing in primary care, geriatrics, and behavioral health. When he’s not working, Joe enjoys life getting to know Ithaca, NY where he recently moved with his wife and two young children. 

Primary care, the bedrock of our health care system, is facing a crisis of equity, accessibility, and quality, especially for underserved and chronically ill adults and seniors. There is an absence of integrated and person-centered solutions that address system deficits, like inadequate behavioral health resources. Meanwhile, hospital nurses are overburdened, underappreciated, and often constrained by a system that doesn’t fully recognize their potential. These challenges demand a bold, innovative response—one that not only addresses immediate needs but also reimagines the future of health care.

CLARA: Melinda Yormick

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you realize why.” – Mark Twain

My name is Melinda, Founder and CEO of CLARA. I want to make hospitals safer, smarter, and more user-friendly for patients and caregivers alike. Over the past two years, I have been fortunate to build a team of clinical and technology leaders who share my vision. 

 I am an experienced nurse and healthcare leader. I have worked in most major hospitals in the greater Seattle area. After starting my career at the bedside in thoracic surgery, I took a job as a travel nurse and relocated from upstate New York to Seattle. This was not nearly as common a decade ago as it is today. Working in different hospitals across Seattle, I personally experienced the added burden of trying to provide good patient care while being unfamiliar with unit layouts and equipment locations. In fact, I often spent more time and energy wayfinding than I did caring for patients – but like others, I accepted this status quo.

I quickly settled into my new work life in Seattle, advancing in my career through a series of nurse manager positions in the operating room. I enjoyed this work greatly and applied to UW Foster School of Business with plans to complete my executive MBA (graduate in 2024) and continue to climb the nursing leadership ladder.

Life had other plans for me. In 2021, a patient in one of my areas of responsibility lost his life. The root cause analysis concluded that we didn’t do anything wrong clinically. The root cause was a delay in care due to three wayfinding/navigation issues occurring simultaneously. In talking with colleagues across the nation, I realized that this was not an isolated incident. This is ‘Failure to Respond’ on an industry scale. Patients are being harmed, in alarming numbers, due to challenges getting teams and equipment to patients when they need it most. Delays in treatment continue to be one of the top five sentinel events as reported by the Joint Commission and result in death more often than any event type other than suicide.

I was shocked to find that there were no suitable solutions on the market. On a personal level, I could not ethically continue to work in the healthcare industry until there was an appropriate tool to mitigate these risks. That’s when I was struck by my “why” – so I set out to build one. Think of CLARA as Waze + Air Traffic Control for inside hospitals – orchestrating operations to get teams and equipment to our patients when they need it most. Since founding CLARA in September 2022, I have been on a mission to make hospital campuses safer and smarter.

Please join me on this journey. Let’s make hospitals safer and smarter—together.

Cloud9 Care: Suzanne Mayer

Suzanne has been a nurse working in acute care for over 30 years, specializing in pediatric ICU, neonatal ICU, and other areas of specialty practice.

Drawing on her extensive experience with preventative skin care, Suzanne founded Cloud9 Care after identifying a gap in care while assisting a family member in a home hospice. Shocked by how quickly Stage 1 pressure sores formed on her aunt’s back and head, Suzanne developed a solution that successfully prevented further skin deterioration before her aunt passed away weeks later. This solution also provided comfort during that fragile time.

Years of research and prototype development led to the creation of a simple mattress overlay—the Cloud9 Care System—designed to provide comfort, prevent skin breakdown in at-risk patients, and ease caregiver burden.

Cloud9 Care has a patent pending, and a trademark was granted in 2024. This simple yet effective system has shown clear success in trials across the country in patients at risk for pressure injuries, both at home and in rehabilitation facilities. Results show not only the prevention of skin breakdown but also enhanced healing of preexisting Stage 1 and Stage 2 pressure sores.

Cloud9 Care is also developing prototypes to reduce linen costs for large facilities by using recycled non-woven fabrics, with a biodegradable version on the horizon to further improve sustainability.

This innovative device can save families and medical facilities significant healthcare costs while improving care efficiency. Most importantly, it can spare patients unnecessary and entirely avoidable pain and suffering. Cloud9 Care is proving to be a vital component in healthcare’s goal of zero harm.

Commission for Nurse Reimbursement: Sharon Pearce and Melissa Mills

Sharon Pearce

The Commission for Nurse Reimbursement (CNR) was founded in April 2023 by Rebecca Love and Sharon Pearce with a clear mission: to transform how nursing care is valued and reimbursed. Our goal is to address the critical financial challenges that have contributed to the nursing shortage and, ultimately, improve patient care.

We believe that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system and that their invaluable contributions should be recognized financially. By advocating for nursing care to be viewed as a billable service rather than an expense, we aim to elevate the profession and ensure its sustainability for the future. Sharon Pearce is a Policy advocate accustomed to leading and supporting ongoing grassroots efforts to build relationships with congressional leaders, and state and federal agencies. A long-time leader of state and national professional associations representing more than 50,000 members. Helps develop and continuously foster a proactive legislative agenda and monitoring of legislative and administrative actions likely to impact association members. 

Consistently plans and conducts advocacy and outreach to garner organizational support. Frequently speaks about, and provides training on policy and coalition building to organization members. Develops strategic legislative agendas and coordinates volunteers to assist with policy campaigns.

Melissa Mills

Melissa L. Mills, RN, is a seasoned nursing leader with over 26 years of experience dedicated to transforming nursing education, workforce development, and patient care. She has been licensed in Ohio her entire nursing career. Her extensive clinical background in diverse healthcare settings fuels her commitment to solving critical nursing challenges.

Melissa is a passionate advocate for addressing nursing shortages, burnout, and the urgent need for innovative training solutions. As the Head of Content at Cinematic Health Education, she revolutionizes how direct care workers are trained and retained. As the fractional Executive Director of the Commission for Nurse Reimbursement, she champions fair reimbursement structures for nursing services.

Melissa’s mission is to elevate the nursing profession by inspiring nurses to embrace their roles as leaders and change-makers. She actively shares her passion and positivity on LinkedIn, helping staff nurses and nursing leaders find their passions and gifts to use them in new ways within healthcare.

Commodore Concierge Nurse Mgmt: JeanneMarie Bozza

Jeannemarie Bozza is the CEO and founder of Commodore Concierge Nurse Management, an elite home nursing company specializing in hospital-at-home care. Commodore Concierge Nurse Management offers advanced, tailored home care for patients with complex medical needs. 

Their team of 160 ICU nurses and 60 aides, all hand-trained by Jeannie herself, provide expert-level care with discretion and compassion, treating their patients as they would want their own family members cared for. Additionally, the company has a network of uniquely qualified providers available 24/7 through its clinical arm.

Commodore focuses on treating the whole patient, using a holistic approach and preventative care like nutrition and mental health to increase the quality and quantity of life. With over 25 years of experience as a registered nurse with a solution-seeking philosophy, Jeannie has built her business on her passion for empowering individuals to take control of their health care. Because Commodore nurses come to the company only through a personal referral, it has become a company that thrives through its teamwork mindset and employee commitment level that in turn benefits every patient.

The newest exciting extension of Commodore is the Commodore Cares Foundation, which will carry on the company’s commitment to individualized, patient-centered care. The Commodore Cares Foundation’s mission is to provide exceptional healthcare services to those who may not have access to them otherwise, creating a ripple effect of positive change in the lives of those it serves.

Corstrata: Alicia Jenkins and Katherine Piette

Alicia Jenkins

Katherine Piette and Alicia Jenkins lead Corstrata, a telehealth company pioneering virtual wound and ostomy care delivery. With a mission rooted in improving access to specialized nursing care, Corstrata bridges the gap between patients and certified wound and ostomy nurses, who are often scarce in post-acute settings. Corstrata provides comprehensive evidence-based consultations in hospitals, home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities, and new care delivery models.

Co-founder and CEO Katherine Piette, with over 20 years of experience in virtual healthcare innovation, has driven the company’s success in reducing hospital readmissions and emergency room visits through strategic partnerships and evidence-based care practices.

 Katherine Piette

Alicia Jenkins, Corstrata’s lead clinician and a board-certified wound and ostomy nurse, brings 30 years of clinical expertise to the team. Alicia’s deep understanding of wound and ostomy care honed across multiple care settings and has been instrumental in integrating virtual care into mainstream practice, ensuring timely, specialized patient support.

Together, Katherine and Alicia’s dedication to transforming patient care has placed Corstrata at the forefront of telehealth innovation, making a meaningful impact on both clinical and financial outcomes. 

Dayton ICU Consulting: Kali Dayton

Kali Dayton, DNP, AGACNP, is a critical care nurse practitioner, host of the Walking Home From The ICU podcast, and CEO of Dayton ICU Consulting. She is on a mission to combat lethal and harmful sedation and mobility practices that plague Intensive Care Units (ICU) throughout the world through the implementation of the ABCDEF Bundle. When ICU teams master the ABCDEF Bundle they decrease 7-day mortality by 68%, readmission to the ICU by 46%, and healthcare costs by 30%. Kali is dedicating her years of experience in an Awake and Walking ICU to help ICU teams align their sedation and mobility practices with current research. The multidisciplinary Dayton ICU Consulting team provides extensive consulting, education, and training services to assist teams in the transformation to become Awake and Walking ICUs. They are leading the revolution to give ICU patients the best chance to survive and thrive.

FASSsyringe: Hilario Castillo

Hilario Castillo, RN, BSN – Innovator, Nurse Entrepreneur, and Founder of Innovative Neurons LLC

Hilario Castillo, a Registered Nurse and dedicated Entrepreneur, combines his acute care clinical expertise with a passion for innovation to lead a Med-Tech startup focused on developing advanced medical technologies. His work is aimed at addressing chronic health challenges, reducing healthcare costs, and creating safer, more efficient solutions for both healthcare professionals and patients.

As the visionary behind the patented FASS (FASS ACCESS SAFETY SYRINGE), Hilario has introduced groundbreaking time-saving and safety features that distinguish it from conventional syringes. This innovation is poised to significantly decrease healthcare costs, minimize needle stick injuries, and streamline routine injection procedures in acute care settings. 

A defining aspect of Hilario’s journey is the deep connections he forms with those he cares for. His lead senior advisor, Richard Murphy, initially came into his life as a patient. Inspired by the exceptional care he received at the bedside, Richard along with Claudette, Gary, and Jerry chose to become lifelong mentors and advisors, guiding Hilario in his entrepreneurial pursuits.

Hilario’s commitment to innovation has earned him recognition through participation in prestigious healthcare incubators and hackathons, such as NYCEDC life science initiatives like SBIR IMPACT NYC HEALTH TECH and the elabNYC program. He has also been involved in events like NSF NY I-CORP, NYCSPACEAPPS, NYCbigapps, NIHUB accelerator, and SONSIEL Nurse Hackathon. Recently, Hilario’s efforts culminated in a victory at a pitch competition in Albany, New York, following months of dedicated participation in the Albany Medical College and Albany MedHealth innovation competition.

“I’ve always believed that as nurses, we are uniquely positioned to transform our great ideas from the bedside into groundbreaking solutions that will revolutionize healthcare and significantly benefit our patients,” says Hilario.

With a commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare, Hilario continues to lead the charge in developing solutions that make a real difference in the lives of patients and the healthcare providers who serve them.

Fifth Window: Kathryn Shaffer and Charlene Platon

Kathryn Shaffer

Kathy Shaffer, EdD, RN, MSN, CNE, CCFP, FNAP, is an accomplished Associate Professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a visionary Co-Founder of Fifth Window, a community-driven platform dedicated to enhancing nurses’ well-being. With over 30 years of experience as a nurse, Dr. Shaffer brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role as a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional, where she has made significant contributions to the healthcare field, particularly in supporting and educating healthcare professionals and caregivers. Her deep commitment to trauma-informed education has positioned her as a leader in fostering resilience and self-care practices among nursing students and new-to-practice nurses.

Dr. Shaffer’s extensive experience as a nurse informs her work as a trauma-informed educator, where she has dedicated her career to developing innovative educational strategies that equip nurses with the tools they need to navigate the complexities of their roles while maintaining their well-being. Through her efforts, she has helped countless nursing students and new nurses cultivate resilience, adopt self-care practices, and build the emotional stamina necessary to thrive in demanding healthcare environments.

In her role as a consultant for curriculum change in nursing education, Kathy has been instrumental in integrating trauma-sensitive pedagogy into nursing programs. Her efforts have ensured that nursing curricula are not only academically rigorous but also supportive of students’ mental and emotional health. She has played a pivotal role in transforming clinical education, creating learning environments that promote student understanding, and enhancing their skills in promoting and maintaining population health.

Kathy’s leadership extends beyond the classroom. She co-created N2N, a peer-run nurse support group that offers frontline nurses a safe space to share experiences, seek support, and develop coping strategies. This initiative reflects her commitment to fostering a culture of care and compassion within the nursing profession, recognizing the unique stressors that nurses face, and providing them with the resources to manage these challenges effectively.

Her collaborative approach to education has led to the development of transdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities at Jefferson, where nursing students work alongside students from other healthcare professions and the School of Business. These initiatives have provided students with hands-on experience addressing public health issues and developing innovative solutions to improve healthcare access and reduce social determinants of health.

Kathy’s impact on nursing education is profound, and her work continues to shape the future of the profession. She has been a driving force behind the curriculum redesign at Jefferson’s College of Nursing, ensuring that self-care and resiliency-building are integral components of the nursing programs. Her dedication to supporting nurses’ well-being, both in practice and through education, has earned her recognition as a leader in the field.

Charlene Platon

Charlene Platon, MS, RN, PHN, FNP-BC, is a nurse leader, mental health advocate, and innovator dedicated to advancing clinician well-being and enhancing healthcare delivery. As a Director of Ambulatory Nursing at Stanford Health Care, she leads initiatives to drive innovation and elevate ambulatory nursing practices across the organization.

In 2019, Charlene was recognized as one of the twelve inaugural Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellows, an honor that allowed her to focus on a cause deeply personal to her: prioritizing nurse well-being. Motivated by her own experiences with mental health, Charlene founded Fifth Window, a community-driven platform to promote nurses’ well-being through curated resources and peer support. As CEO & Co-Founder of Fifth Window, Charlene is committed to cultivating a culture that places the well-being of the healthcare workforce at its core.

Charlene holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California, Irvine. As a licensed registered nurse and board-certified family nurse practitioner, she brings over 12 years of knowledge and expertise to her leadership roles. Charlene’s vision is to transform healthcare at the intersection of compassion, innovation, and technology. She is deeply passionate about harnessing creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration to address the challenges faced by healthcare professionals and patients alike.

Florida State University – College of Nursing: Jing Wang and Amanda Wood

Jing Wang

Jing Wang, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN is Dean and Professor of the Florida State University College of Nursing, and Adjunct Professor in Biomedical Informatics and Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She serves on the Board of Trustees at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and HCA Florida Capitol Hospital. She’s committed to nursing workforce development and High Tech High Touch approach in nursing education, research, and collaborative practice. Her interdisciplinary research uses mobile and connected health technologies to optimize multiple-behavior lifestyle interventions and improve patient-centered outcomes among the chronically ill and aging populations with multiple chronic conditions, especially among the rural and underserved populations. She’s an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, 2013 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar, 2015 TEDMED Scholar, 2016 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Macy Faculty Scholar, and Harvard Macy Scholar where she continues to teach in the “Leading Innovations in Health Care & Education” program in the Harvard Macy Institute. She is also the editorial board member of The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care. She was a member of the Steering Committee that updated the American Nurses Association (ANA) Connected Health Principles from the 1998 ANA Core Principles on Telehealth to guide nursing practice on telehealth and connected health. As a Health and Aging Policy Fellow and American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, she was a Senior Scientific Advisor to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and works with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as a senior policy advisor. Wang received MSN and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, an MPH from its Graduate School of Public Health, and a Graduate Certificate in Clinical and Translational Science from its School of Medicine.

Amanda Wood

As the director of strategic engagement, Amanda leads College of Nursing initiatives that foster strategic partnerships and expand relationships with key stakeholders to advance the college’s mission. Additionally, she collaborates with senior leadership to develop strategies to educate and influence targeted audiences to boost the college’s academic priorities, as well as its national reputation. In 2022, the Florida State University College of Nursing established the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation (IDHI). The mission of IDHI is to advance digital health science, technologies, and tools focused on solving the real-world needs of patients, providers, and populations through research, training, and innovation to maximize health and eliminate health inequities. The ultimate goal of the Institute on Digital Health and Innovation is advancing individual and public health, as well as health equity, through collaborative and synergistic partnerships focused on the development, evaluation, and dissemination of digital health tools, technologies, and innovations.

Galena Innovations: Ashley Crafton

Ashley Crafton is a dedicated obstetric nurse with a distinguished 23-year career, demonstrating a profound passion for family, exceptional medical expertise, and unwavering empathy for women and children. Her impactful service to thousands of families includes perinatal bereavement support and vital contributions to humanitarian efforts like Operation Allied Refuge (2021 Afghanistan evacuation) and the 2022 Ukraine evacuation. In 2019, Ashley founded Galena Innovations, aiming to enhance family well-being. Renowned for her knowledge in preterm birth, early startup execution, and preclinical research, she is listed as the inventor on a number of patents, including the Hannah Cervical Cup. She earned her BSN from Northwest Nazarene University and is currently pursuing a master’s at Johns Hopkins University in Biotechnology Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. In 2022, she won the Boise Entrepreneur Week Pitch Competition, further solidifying her status as an accomplished entrepreneur. She has been happily married for 20 years & is the mother of five accomplished children. During my time as a perinatal bereavement nurse, I got pretty disheartened. I was so sick of sitting with a mom who was grieving the loss of her baby and having her turn to me and say “Why in this day and age, with all the technology that we have, can we not do ANYTHING about {insert common pregnancy complication here}?” I’d have to look at her and say “I don’t know.” It got to the point where I was mad—mad at a system that failed these women.

And then I realized something: I was part of the problem. If I sat here and did nothing about this I was just like “them”—whoever it was that I was mad at.

I decided to begin reading the research surrounding spontaneous preterm birth because it is the most prevalent reason for families losing their babies. When you take the 10,000-foot view, you see that we have tried two buckets of things: medications that cause harm and don’t work, and compressing the cervix closed. Compressing the cervix only further weakens cervical tissue, though. It’s even a technique for inducing labor. It seemed crazy to me that we would try the same technique used in labor inductions to create cervical change to stop it from happening. So, I thought maybe doing the opposite might help—putting suction or pulling on the cervix. It turns out that that’s exactly right. Stretching tissue causes an immediate stiffness and, over time, stimulates the collagen in the tissue to rebuild itself, better bearing any load that is placed on it (like, say, pregnancy).

I really had no inclination to do anything about this. I went in to work that night as usual, and a woman came in showing signs of labor. I had assisted in tying her cervix closed a week earlier with a technique called cerclage, but this tore through and she delivered a baby that was too young to survive. I knew she was going to ask me that question “Why can’t we do anything about this?” and I couldn’t face her unless I was willing to get to work. And so I jumped in!

We’ve just made it through our First in Human trial and we were able to stiffen the cervix of a non-pregnant woman by 38% long-term. We are now ready to perform our next clinical trial.

Humla Health: Jessica Sylvester

Humla’s streamlined, tech-driven platform provides your health system care facility with the ability to fill open shifts per diem to long-term assignments quickly with credentialed W-2 nurses, helping to manage patient safety and staff burnout without the agency cost. We were built by nurses, for nurses. We’ve experienced burnout, staffing shortages, and resource limitations firsthand. We’ve felt the stress of trying to fill in the gaps and making tough financial decisions. With Humla Health, you can: -Increase Patient Safety -Budget with more confidence -Manage Risk and Surge Plans -Fill shifts on demand.

Laxo: Michael Thorn and Rob Hill

Rob Hill and Michael Thorn are both Nurse Practitioners within the Division of Trauma, Critical Care & General Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.  Through their work in clinical and nursing innovation, they teamed up in efforts to improve clinical outcomes through optimization of clinical practice, education, and research.  As active members of the healthcare innovation community, both Hill and Thorn have collaborated on numerous projects aimed at solving common problems encountered in their clinical practice.  

Their backgrounds led them to the realization that surgical drain occlusions were occurring at a high rate due to inadequate drain stripping and care.  Recognizing the need for an innovative solution, they teamed up to develop the Laxo Device.  Following initial conception of the Laxo Device, they participated in numerous innovation and development programs to further refine and improve the Laxo Device.  Through these programs, they were able to transform their initial device concept into a US Utility patented, market-ready product, that has the potential to significantly improve post-surgical care for patients.  Their collaboration on the Laxo Device exemplifies their commitment to addressing real-world clinical problems with practical, innovative solutions.

M7 Health: Ilana Borkenstein

Nurses are the largest sector of the healthcare workforce – the backbone of the healthcare system – yet the least invested in and the least technologized.

M7 is changing that.

The last four years have highlighted how critical nurses are to the health of our communities. Amid a record nursing shortage, health systems must make the nursing role more sustainable and attractive to sustain a strong workforce that meets their patients’ needs.

M7 is the technological layer health systems depend on to unlock the operational and organizational changes that the modern nurse demands.

NurseBnB: Keisha Manning

Keisha is a compassionate nurse who has over 15 years of experience in critical care nursing. As a former travel nurse, she has experienced the horror of housing while relocating for assignments. Experiencing housing scams and hefty upfront costs, often left her and her colleagues with little to no savings after a contract. What broke the camel’s back was when her colleague who was also a travel nurse could not find a place to stay while working the night shift. He ended up sleeping in his car for 2 nights then quit the assignment. This led her to create a booking platform that will revolutionize the online booking industry, saving renters up to 80% in upfront costs protecting the homeowner’s investment, and saving them thousands of dollars in the process. Keisha immigrated to the USA from Jamaica as an ICU Nurse she later went on to earn her master’s in Business administration and also specializes in Digital marketing.  Keisha has been featured in several magazines such as Back Enterprise and recognized by the American Nurses Association among the Nurse Innovators which recommends NursesBnB as the booking platform for healthcare professionals.

NurseBrain: Samu Mhlambi

Samu Mhlambi, RN, BSN, MCiM, is a dynamic healthcare leader, combining over 14 years of nursing experience with expertise in software development and clinical informatics. A graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine and a current DNP student at Yale School of Nursing, Samu is dedicated to creating groundbreaking solutions that elevate patient care to new heights. As the CEO of NurseBrain AI, a pioneering nurse workflow automation platform, he is optimizing healthcare operations, driving financial sustainability, and ensuring resources are focused where they matter most: providing exceptional patient care.

Nurses United Against Human Trafficking (NUAHT): Francine Bono-Neri and Geraldine Cornell

Francine Bono-Neri 

Dr. Francine Bono-Neri, Ph.D., RN, APRN, PNP is a pediatric nurse practitioner, academic nurse educator, trained sexual assault nurse examiner, researcher, published author, invited speaker, and nurse leader. She served as a Director-at-Large for the American Nurses Association for the State of New York and as President for the Long Island Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Bono-Neri was awarded a Nassau County Legislature Citation and was recognized at the United Nations, receiving the 2024 Inspiring Global Nurse Award and the 2024 International Ceca Award. She was also accepted by the American Academy of Nursing to be inducted as a Fellow (FAAN) at the 2024 Health Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. 

In 2019, Dr. Bono-Neri entered the anti-trafficking space after recognizing her failure in identifying a case of trafficking in the pediatric clinical setting and her ultimate failure as a mandated reporter. She immediately pivoted her focus to anti-trafficking measures and vowed that she would do everything in her power to close this knowledge gap in the healthcare profession so that no other victim would be failed by another healthcare professional. She is the Co-founder & President of Nurses United Against Human Trafficking, P.A., a global professional association created for the sole purpose of combatting modern-day slavery by educating, equipping, and empowering healthcare professionals on human trafficking and anti-trafficking measures. As the proud recipient of a prestigious Nurses Education Funds (NEF) national scholarship, Dr. Bono-Neri has recently established a scholarship in perpetuity through NEF., The Francine Bono-Neri Scholarship, will be awarded annually to a master’s or doctoral nursing student pursuing clinical expertise or scholarly work in the area of human trafficking and anti-trafficking measures. Her hopes are to raise awareness and increase knowledge of human trafficking in all nurses, with her goal of starting robust education on this topic, beginning in undergraduate studies.

Geraldine Cornell

Dr. Geraldine L. Cornell, Ed.D., RN, is a seasoned registered nurse, mentor, and academic nurse educator specializing in simulation design, development, and evaluation. Dr. Cornell has been instrumental in the creation, development, and evaluation of prelicensure and graduate simulation programs. As a simulation expert and consultant, Dr. Cornell serves as a strong advocate for integrating experiential learning modalities into healthcare education programs. She has traveled internationally to present and collaborate regarding best practices using simulation. A member of several professional organizations, Dr. Cornell has presented research findings and served as a content reviewer for the International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH). She is a published author, speaker, and founder of Cardpassionate, LLC. As an executive board member of NUAHT in the capacity of Secretary, Dr. Cornell also serves as a content developer and educator. With her expertise and strong background in simulation, she has developed a simulation module based on a human trafficking case study which has been piloted in an undergraduate baccalaureate prelicensure RN program with findings on posttest at p ≤ .001 for efficacy. Dr. Cornell is active in various forms of advocacy efforts to educate, equip, and empower the masses by raising awareness on human trafficking and supporting survivors.  

PocketRN: Mirini Kim

Mirini Kim, DNP, RN, CPNP-PC, pioneers the delivery of PocketRN’s innovative model of virtual, nurse-led care that places expert, empathetic nurses at the center of healthcare–particularly in the home. In a system that often leaves patients and families without support between provider visits, PocketRN bridges the gap by empowering nurses to deliver high-touch, personalized, and proactive care. By using video-enabled, AI, and RPM technologies to augment nurse care, PocketRN also creates sustainable and fulfilling remote opportunities that meet the diverse needs of the nursing workforce.

Under Mirini’s leadership as Head of Nursing, PocketRN is uniquely dedicated to fostering a community where nurses feel valued and empowered to deliver proactive care. She works closely with a nursing team that spans across the country, gathering continuous feedback to refine clinical workflows, protocols, and training. Beyond this, Mirini builds a sense of belonging among PocketRN’s remote nurses by organizing engaging activities, social events, and professional development opportunities. Her efforts are pivotal in creating fulfilling and flexible roles for nurses, whether they are new graduates or experienced professionals seeking more adaptable hours.

Empowered with technology, clinical resources, and a supportive community, nurses are poised to close the gaps in today’s healthcare system. If nurse-led care were widely adopted, it would pave the way for a more sustainable and compassionate future. Patient outcomes would improve, reducing the strain on clinicians and hospitals, while nurses—long undervalued and overwhelmed—would find renewed sustainability and longevity in their careers.

Primary Record: Jean Ross

Jean Ross, RN, wakes up every morning driven by a clear mission: to ensure that every family has a complete health record at their fingertips. During her years in critical care, Jean witnessed firsthand the overwhelming complexity and fragmentation in healthcare, where families often struggled to piece together vital information during emergencies and care transitions. Inspired by the transformative potential of the 21st Century Cures Act’s patient access laws, she co-founded Primary Record with her neighbor, Jim McIntosh, to create a platform that empowers patients and families to organize, collect, and share health data. Primary Record is available today for anyone seeking one, secure place to manage their health information, offering tools like AI, audio transcription, and permission-based sharing to help find, understand, and share their health story effectively.

As co-founder and CEO of Primary Record, Jean is fiercely committed to breaking down the barriers that prevent patients from accessing and managing their health information. She is particularly excited about the upcoming launch of Primary Record Pro, a platform designed to take care coordination to new levels by enabling professionals to directly access and work alongside family-managed health data. This visibility into the complete health story allows care teams to effectively assist with any health journey, deliver coordinated care seamlessly, and make informed decisions. Launching this fall with five committed businesses already on board, the Primary Record team is leading the charge in using patient access laws to improve care for families.

RescueRN: Susan Davis

As a dedicated nursing leader and innovator, Dr. Davis, known as The Rescue RN, has committed her career to enhancing the confidence and competence of healthcare professionals. With a strong background in resuscitation education and emergency response, she founded CodePRep™, an advanced healthcare emergency response training program designed to prepare healthcare teams with the skills to manage critical situations effectively.

Dr. Davis’s expertise and contributions to the field have been recognized at prestigious platforms such as #ViVe 2024, and she is set to showcase CodePRep at #HLTH 2024 as a NurseApproved company. She actively advocates for community CPR and AED training and serves on the advisory committee for the Citizens CPR Foundation HeartSafe initiative.

In her role as Resuscitation Education Manager and consultant for leading industry giants, Susan collaborates with schools, healthcare coalitions, and community leaders to enhance cardiovascular wellness and emergency preparedness. Her extensive experience and passion for empowering healthcare providers and community members ensure they are prepared to act swiftly and effectively in any emergency.

Rx for Growth: Jennifer Johnson

Hi, I’m Jennifer Johnson, a Registered Nurse in Ontario, Canada, and author and entrepreneur. I have spent the last sixteen years of my career in the emergency room of big and small hospitals all over Northern and Southern Ontario. I have personally been a part of all the heartbreak, drama, bullying, life to death moments, and then also trying to cope in the ER during an ongoing pandemic. My books are my rally cry to all the other nurses struggling through this pandemic and finding that they are losing their love of nursing. They (as well as I) are burnt out and depressed and feeling hopeless. The love, caring, and camaraderie of nursing have changed for all of us, and the expectation that we continue to show up to a job that puts our lives on the line is new to us, and we are not doing well. I wanted to put this book out there to let nurses know they are not alone. Bringing back the love of nursing is possible. Now more than ever, we need to support and help raise each other. These are those books.

SafeSeizure: Joey Ferry and Taofiki Gafar-Schaner

Joey Ferry and Taofiki Gafar-Schaner founded Frontier Innovations Inc. with a shared mission rooted deeply in their experiences as nurses. Both Joey and Taofiki recognized significant gaps in the tools available to safeguard patients at risk of seizures in hospital settings. As frontline healthcare workers, they observed the challenges and inefficiencies in using makeshift solutions like linen and tape to pad bed rails—a practice that not only posed risks to patient safety but also added to the burden on nursing staff.

Driven by a desire to improve patient care and nursing practices, Joey and Taofiki set out to develop a solution that would address these problems. Their journey began with humble, innovative experiments combining everyday materials to create a prototype that eventually became SafeSeizure™. This product was designed with the intent to standardize and enhance the way seizure precautions are implemented across healthcare facilities, providing a reliable, safe, and cost-effective alternative to existing methods.

Both co-founders bring a wealth of experience and passion to their work. Joey, with over 15 years in nursing, and Taofiki, with nearly a decade of experience, have leveraged their clinical backgrounds and firsthand knowledge of patient needs to design a product that truly meets the demands of modern healthcare. Their dedication to innovation has earned them recognition, including the prestigious ANA Innovation Award in 2020 and the Nightingale Award for two consecutive years, reflecting their commitment to transforming patient care through practical, nurse-driven solutions.

Their story is one of perseverance, collaboration, and a deep-rooted commitment to improving the quality of healthcare. They continue to grow Frontier Innovations Inc., expanding the reach of SafeSeizure™ to hospitals across the country, driven by the same passion that inspired their initial creation. 

Streamline Flow: Amanda Schleede, Shannon Hattenhauer, and Kelly Ayala

Amanda Schleede

Amanda has over twenty-five years of healthcare-focused experience within the management consulting, service, and venture capital worlds. She is an entrepreneur at heart and her extensive healthcare experience provides further insight into the needs of the provider and consumer.

Streamline Flow (SLF) is your team’s centralized platform to track and manage patient care plan adherence regardless of diagnosis. We reduce patient leakage, and loss to follow-up and improve adherence to their care plan, which improves patient outcomes. EHR’s provide minimal support for longitudinal patient care. SLF brings all the ‘pieces’ together to identify patients who are at risk of not complying with their care plans. SLF clearly identifies the next step in patient care for both the care team and the patient. No longer are you “digging through” the EHR to find the data you need – SLF provides immediate visualization, with Clear Connected Care.

Shannon Hattenhauer

Shannon Hattenhauer, RN, BSN is an Interventional Pulmonology Coordinator where she first-hand helps patients navigate through appointments, biopsies, testing, and specialty departments. Shannon also serves as a nurse resource to a community-based wellness center where she trains community health workers. Shannon is passionate about ensuring patients feel supported and know the next steps of their healthcare journey.

Kelly Ayala

Dr. Kelly Ayala, DNP, APNP, BSN is a primary care nurse practitioner. She enjoys creating process maps in her free time and looking for patterns to improve care for patients, particularly in underserved or marginalized communities. Kelly is also the co-founder of Hear Now, a nurse-created software for one-way communication, that enables family and friends to send encouraging messages and news to stay connected. Kelly’s passion for creating Streamline Flow comes from her work with patients who don’t know the next step and need to reach a diagnosis and receive continuity of care. She needs Streamline Flow to work for her nurse and scheduling colleagues who are overwhelmed, using manual processes to manage large high-risk patient populations. Kelly needs Streamline Flow to work for her provider colleagues who want to provide the best care for each patient and need the system to work.

The Bullish Nurse: Katie Bull

Dr. Katie Bull, MSN, EdD, RN, is a nurse, educator, biotech consultant, and most recently, founder/CEO of The Bullish Nurse. The Bullish Nurse was founded as a response to historical dissatisfaction and burnout rates of nurses at the bedside. As a hiring manager in biotech, Katie noticed a lack of nurse applicants for roles in which nurses would be well-suited and offer alternative career options for nurses seeking non-traditional roles. Katie’s mission is to drive awareness of these opportunities while providing the tools and strategies needed to successfully transition their career. In just over one year, The Bullish Nurse has successfully assisted over 6 thousand nurses in their quest to find alternative roles when burnout strategies have failed.

Driven by a strong commitment to elevating and integrating nurses’ expertise into biotech, Katie is expanding The Bullish Nurse to drive impactful healthcare technologies by bridging the gap between industry and nursing. Nurses are the largest healthcare profession and tech end-users; therefore, they are uniquely positioned to drive human-centered innovation. Yet, less than 1% of nurses hold biotech roles, hindering useful design and adoption. Leveraging a wide audience of nurses exploring non-traditional roles, The Bullish Nurse attracts, trains, prepares, and connects uniquely talented nurses with biotech firms, bridging the gap between healthcare and innovation.  

True Concepts Medical Technologies: Mick Hopkins

Mr. Hopkins is a registered nurse with 28 years of experience in critical care, emergency medicine, and trauma. His nursing experience, coupled with 29 plus years of design experience, led him to develop a series of next-generation dual-syringe technologies that have the potential to save the US healthcare system upwards of a billion dollars while improving patient outcomes. In 2017 he founded True Concepts Medical Technologies (TCMT) a medical device innovation engine that delivers novel and manufacturable solutions based on clinical experience. Our devices are designed by clinicians for clinicians with a focus on areas that have significant morbidity and mortality such as sepsis and sudden cardiac arrest. Our goal is to save lives and reduce healthcare costs of care with intelligently designed solutions that eliminate the opportunity for human error. Rather than starting with a technical solution and applying it to a new clinical problem, TCMT starts with a deep understanding of the clinical challenge and builds innovative custom solutions to solve it. Unlike medical device manufacturers, our team is committed to delivering the right product-based solution to serious clinical problems. Mr. Hopkins is a 1995 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and Health. He currently holds 26 (US & International) Patents, has won three Innovation Awards related to his dual-syringe technologies, and has testified before Congress as an expert witness on “Upskilling the Medical Work Force”, bringing ideas from the bedside, back to the bedside. As founder of TCMT, he has led all phases of product development and is in the process of FDA Pre-Submission for D’VIA™, the first and internationally patented 4-in-1 Dual Chamber Blood Collection System, prevents expensive false-positives, false-negatives and process contamination by isolating pure, uncontaminated blood for faster more accurate sepsis testing and diagnosis helping hospital EDs/ICUs protect revenue integrity, lower costs, and improve patient outcomes.

Perfecting Peds: Lyle Mioduszewski

Lyle Mioduszewski, RN, BSN, is a leader in disruptive care for high-risk, high-cost pediatric populations. As co-founder and President of Perfecting Peds, a New Jersey-based tech-enabled service startup, he spearheads commercial strategy and business development.

Perfecting Peds specializes in optimizing and safeguarding medication therapies for medically complex children. “We integrate board-certified pediatric PharmDs into the care teams of our sickest kids, for the long haul. Our customers are patients, parents, providers, and payers, and we empower each of them to achieve medication optimization, safety, collaboration, and coordination,” says Mioduszewski.

“Our health plan and government clients face persistent challenges with the high costs and low quality historically associated with the care of our most vulnerable children. The bar is low in pediatrics—innovation is rare, and provider demand far exceeds supply. Perfecting Peds is raising that bar, bridging providers with our expert resources and technologies to disrupt the inefficiencies inherent in medical interventions, which account for 90% of treatment,” he adds.

Perfecting Peds employs specialized workflows and experiences to guide longitudinal medication management. The company’s interoperable approach enables independent analysis, engagement, and response to changes in care dynamics, such as hospital discharges, new prescriptions, diagnoses, and rising social risks.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is how we’ve brought Perfecting Peds to market as a clinician-innovated and clinician-led company. We’ve built an organization that instinctively places patient outcomes at the center of every decision. It’s incredibly energizing to wake up every day knowing that,” Mioduszewski reflects.

With 21 years of diverse healthcare experience spanning care delivery, commercial roles in medical devices, diagnostics, medical supply chain, and health information technology, Lyle is a graduate of Purdue University. He resides in Southwest Florida with his wife and three children.

>>Save $250 on your HLTH registration with discount code: Nurse250 

About NurseApproved

Nurse Approved is passionate about enabling healthcare companies to leverage the wisdom and insights of healthcare’s frontline professionals; Nurses.

According to their website, “Healthcare is broken. Costs are out of control. Delivery systems are straining. Patients are fed up and caregivers are burnt out. We can do better, and your product may be part of the solution. 

There is no other profession more aware of the challenges in healthcare than nurses. As the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, nurses are on the frontline of patient care and carry the knowledge only gained by this day-to-day responsibility.

With Nurse Approved, this knowledge unlocks insights to help bring the best innovations to the patient’s bedside. We offer the first and only comprehensive platform for third-party, nurse expert evaluation and validation, certifying solutions that nurses consider necessary and trustworthy. 

In 2023, Nurse Approved, following four years of dedicated service with the United States Patent and Trade Office, received the inaugural Certification Mark for “Nurse Approved: Tested & Trusted.”

The Nurse Approved process and its associated certification mark capitalize on the trust that nurses have garnered from the public. This initiative expedites the adoption of impactful healthcare solutions by consumers and patients, leveraging the credibility established through the esteemed reputation of nurses.

From our Chief Innovation Officer, Aimee Bailey, “Nurses are natural problem solvers and innovators. Just as they assess a patient’s needs and develop care plans, they are identifying gaps in our healthcare system and creating solutions that shape its future. The success of nurse-led companies shows that when nurses lead, meaningful change follows,” said their Chief Innovation Officer, Aimee Bailey, 

With its focus on nurses, HLTH 2024 promises to be a transformative event, one that will undoubtedly leave an indelible mark on the healthcare industry and the lives of nurses.