Menu

 

 

Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference

Sunday, March 16 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA

Brainstorming: Inspiration, Innovation, and All That Jazz

2025 Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference Schedule-at-a-Glance

The 2025 Neuroscience Nursing Annual Conference will be held from March 16 – 18, 2025 at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, LA.

Sunday, March 16

Pre-Conference Workshops

8:00 am – 5:00 pm CDT

Neuro-APP Symposium *

Join us for the Neuro-APP Symposium to attend sessions focusing on advanced care for neuroscience patients! This all-day symposium will feature sessions from a variety of experts in the field. Click the link above to see the full schedule! Register for both the Neuro-APP Symposium and AANN Annual Conference and receive discounted registration!

Room: Borgne (3rd floor)

8:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT

(001) 3D Functional Brain Anatomy Related to Stroke, Trauma, and Pathology Across the Lifespan *

Linda Littlejohns, MSN RN SCRN CNRN FAAN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

8:00 am – 11:00 am CDT

(002) Best Practices in Neuroscience Orientation *

Cynthia Bautista, PhD APRN FNCS FCNS
Lorin Daniels, MSN APRN AGACNP-BC CNRN RNFA
Mary McKenna Guanci, MSN RN CNRN SCRN FNCS
Lori Rhudy, PhD APRN CNS ACNS-BC CNRN
Marianne Beare Vyas, PhD RN ANP-BC CNRN

Room: Nottoway (4th floor)

Corporate Lunch Symposium: Neurocrine

12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT

Room: Grand Ballroom A/B (5th floor)

Pre-Conference Workshops

1:00 – 3:00 pm CDT

(003) Spine Anatomy and 3D Correlation to Trauma and Degenerative Disease *

Linda Littlejohns, MSN RN SCRN CNRN FAAN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(004) Basic Neuroimaging: More Than Fifty Shades of Grey *

Cathy Cartwright, DNP RN-BC PCNS FAAN
Rachel Malloy, DNP RN CNRN SCRN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

*Additional fee required to attend.

Break with Exhibitors & Posters

3:00 – 3:30 pm CDT

Concurrent Sessions (2 sessions, 1 CE contact hour)

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm CDT

(100) Managing Neurological Autoimmune Disease Lifelong Evolving Symptoms: A Patient-Clinician Experience and Outcomes Driven Approach

Level: Intermediate
Topic: Movement Disorders/Neuromuscular/Neurodegenerative
Caroline Piselli, DNP MBA RN FACHE SSBB
Pharmacology hours: 0.25

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(101) Empowering Nurses: Tools and Techniques for Epilepsy Care Using Simluation and Human Factors

Level: Intermediate
Track: Quality/Safety/Process
Minna Masor, MSN Ed RN CCRN SCRN
Jen Hernandez, MSN RN CCRN
Stasia Rouse, MD

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (2 sessions, 0.5 CE contact hour)

4:40 pm – 5:10 pm CDT

(102) Transsphenoidal and Sinus Surgery Precautions: Science or Just a Self-Perpetuating Myth

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Shaun Golden, MS CNRN SCRN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(103) Neuroscience: A Growing Specialty and Philosophy

Level: Advanced Practice
Track: Quality/Safety/Process
Della Mathew, PhD MSN RN

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

Newcomers Reception for First Time Attendees

5:30 – 6 pm CDT

Everyone who is attending their first AANN conference is invited to this session. Mingle with other first time attendees, the AANN Board of Directors, and committee volunteers.

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Opening Reception with Posters and Exhibitors

6:00 – 7:30 pm CDT

Sponsored by UCB, Inc.

Attend the Opening Reception in the exhibit hall to view the posters and mingle with exhibitors.

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Product Showcase by Alexion: Power of Awareness

6:15 – 6:45 pm CDT

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Monday, March 17

Corporate Symposium by Eisai: Highlighting an Early Alzheimer's Disease Treatment Option: Practical Considerations

6:50 – 7:50 am CDT

Room: Grand Ballroom A/B (5th floor)

Opening Remarks, AANN/ABNN/JNN Awards, and Agnes M. Walker Keynote Address (1 CE contact hour)

8:00 – 9:30 am CDT

Finding Strength in Adversity: My Path to Neurosurgery
Betsy Grunch, MD FAANS FACS FCNS

Room: Grand Ballroom C (5th floor)

Breakfast with Exhibits and Posters

9:30 – 10:15 am CDT

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Networking (0.75 CE contact hours)

10:15 – 11:00 am CDT

Network with other attendees on different topics that apply to your role as a neuro nurse and make a new neuro nerd friend!

Room: Grand Ballroom C (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (3 sessions, 1 CE contact hour)

11 am – 12 pm CDT

(200) Managing a Lifetime of Neurological Autoimmune Disease Variability: A Patient-Clinician Neuroscience Nursing Customized Process Framework and Toolset

Level: Expert
Topic: Movement Disorders/Neuromuscular/Neurodegenerative
Caroline Piselli, DNP MBA RN FACHE SSBB
Pharmacology hours: 0.25

Room: Maurepas (3rd floor)

(201) Implementing Anti-Racism Education in Neurocritical Care: A Pathway to Reducing Racial Disparities

Level: Advanced Practice
Track: Quality/Safety/Process
Ebonye Green, DNP ACNPC-AG CNRN SCRN APRN FNCS

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(202) Clinical Sequelae of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) After Hyperacute Phase: Not Out of the Woods Yet

Level: Beginner
Track: Neurotrauma
Denise Li, PhD AGACNP-BC CNS
Pharmacology hours: 0.25

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(203) Supporting Families and the Care Team Through a Diagnosis of Brain Death

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Maureen Lall, PhD APRN FNP-BC COHN-S SCRN NEA-BC
Merrilee Littlewood, BSN RN CCRN SCRN

Room: Borgne (3rd floor)

Corporate Symposium by Jazz Pharmaceuticals: The Life-Long Care of Individuals with Lennox-Gestaut Syndrome: Strategies for Outcomes Optimization from Childhood Through Adulthood

12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Lunch with Exhibits and Posters

12:00 – 1:00 pm CDT

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 1 CE contact hours)

1:00 – 2:00 pm CDT

(204) Shaping the Future of Neuroscience APPs: Insights from the 2023 AANN Survey

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Cathy Cartwright, DNP RN-BC PCNS FAAN
Cindy Blank-Reid, MSN RN TCRN CEN
Cindy Guede, MSN APRN CNRN
Lori Kennedy, PhD RN ACNP-BC CCRN CNRN FNCS FAAN
Debbie Summers, MSN RN AHCNS-BC CNRN SCRN

Room: Maurepas (3rd floor)

(205) In Our Right Mind: Keeping Our Right Hemisphere Damage Patients Safe in the Acute and Post Acute Period

Level: Intermediate
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Samuel Melada, MA RN NPD-BC CNRN SCRN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(206) Brain Injury Behavior Management

Level: Intermediate
Track: Neurotrauma
Cynthia Bautista, PhD APRN FNCS FCNS
Pharmacology hours: 0.5

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 0.5 CE contact hour)

2:10 – 2:40 pm CDT

(207) Past President Session: Volunteerism: An Integral Step in the Pursuit of Nursing Excellence

Level: Intermediate
Track: Professional Development
Mona Stecker, DNP NP-BC CNRN SCRN

Room: Borgne (3rd floor)

(208) Pick Up the Beat: A Call to Action for Improving Social Determinants of Health, Racial Inequality, and Healthcare Inequities in Chronic Neurologic Health Management

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Melissa Moreda, MSN APRN ACCNS-AG CDCES CNRN SCRN
Pharmacology hours: 0.5

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

CANCELLED: (209) Thinking Like a Neuro Nurse: The Development of a Novel and Meaningful Neurological Clinical Decision Aid Tool and High-Fidelity Simulation Program to Recognize Neurological Emergencies

 

(210) Paperwork vs. Patients: How Coordinator and Navigator Role Delineation Enhances Stroke Outcomes

Level: Expert
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Caitlin Wilschevick, MSN CCRN CNRN SCRN
Rachel Campbell, BSN RN SCRN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E

Break with Exhibits and Posters

2:40 – 3:10 pm CDT

Room: Napoleon Ballroom & Foyer (3rd floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 0.5 CE contact hours)

3:10 – 3:40 pm CDT

(211) Epilepsy Foundation Session: Epilepsy Disparities

Level: Intermediate
Track: Epilepsy
Lorraine Newborn-Palmer, DNP APRN ACNS-BC CNRN CBIS FAES

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(212) Risk for Hospital Readmission for Neurovascular Patients: An Opportunity for APRNs

Level: Advanced Practice
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Teresa Connolly, PhD RN ACNS-BC
Kim Paxton, DNP APRN ANP-BC LHITC IHMC

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(213) Addressing the Nursing Shortage: Enhancing Onboarding to Reduce Turnover

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Jillian Cosgrove, MSN RN CCRN
Sonya Lester, BSN RN CCRN

Room: Maurepas (3rd floor)

(214) Support and Resources for the Neuro-Oncology Patient: From Diagnosis to Survivorship

Level: Beginner
Track: Neuro-Oncology
Jaclyn Garcia, BSN RN CNRN SCRN

Room: Borgne (3rd floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 1 CE contact hour)

3:50 – 4:50 pm CDT

(215) Pathways to Excellence: Certification in Neuroscience and Stroke Nursing (ABNN Session)

Level: Intermediate
Track: Professional Development
Ellen Ahlersmeyer, DNP, RN, CNRN;
Carey Heck, PhD, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN, CNRN;
Samantha Orr, MSN, RN, SCRN;
Katy Brown, RN, SCRN

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

(216) Unraveling the Mystery of Migraine: How to Assess, Diagnose, and Treat

Level: Expert
Track: Special Topics
Amy Larson, APRN CNP
Pharmacology hours: 0.5

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(217) Paint Your Circle of Willis

Level: Beginner
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
Denelle Hebert, BSN RN SCRN
DaiWai Olson, PhD RN CCRN FNCS

Room: Grand Ballroom A/B (5th floor)

(218) Does Seating Matter? A Trial of Therapeutic Specialty Chairs on the Neurosciences Units

Level: Intermediate
Track: Quality/Safety/Process
Jennifer Johnson, BSN RN CNRN
Michelle Donoughe, BSN RN CNRN
Melissa Robinette, MSN BS RN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (3 sessions, 0.5 CE contact hours)

5:00 – 5:30 pm CDT

(219) Achieving a Median Door in-Door out Time of 75 Minutes or Less for Endovascular Stroke Therapy Across 21 Facilities is Hard but Doable

Level: Intermediate
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Patricia Zrelak, PhD RN NEA-BC ASC-BC CNRN SCRN CCRN FAHA

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

(220) Fostering Inclusion and Allyship: Reducing Biases in Gender Identity and Sexuality in the Neuroscience Population

Level: Beginner
Track: Special Topics
Holly Wirth, DNP RN NE-BC CNE SCRN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(221) Jazzing Up the Awareness of Sensory Impairment and Innovative Ideas to Optimize the Music of Daily Living

Level: Expert
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
Melissa Moreda, MSN APRN ACCNS-AG CDCES CNRN SCRN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

Tuesday, March 18

AANN/ABNN/AMWF Update

8:00 – 8:30 am CDT

Hear an update on the accomplishments of AANN, ABNN, and AMWF over the past year. Learn more about AANN membership, CNRN and SCRN certification, and AMWF grants.

Room: Grand Ballroom C (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 1 CE contact hour)

8:30 – 9:30 am CDT

(300) Lather Rinse Repeat: The Role of the Glymphatic System in Maintaining a Healthy, Happy, and Homeostatis Brain

Level: Intermediate
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
Samuel Melada, MA RN NPD-BC CNRN SCRN
Kyna Seale, BSN RN CNRN SCRN

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

(301) To Go or Not to Go? Bypassing the ICU: A Nurse's Role in Craniotomy Pathway Implementation

Level: Intermediate
Track: Special Topics
Alessandra Derose, BSN RN
Meghan Mulhern, BSN RN
Jacqueline Santana, BSN
Pharmacology hours: 0.25

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(302) A Patient’s Journey with Rare Peripheral Neuropathy: Learning About CIDP and MMN from Patients Themselves

Level: Intermediate
Track: Movement Disorders
Maureen Neville
Morgan Duhe
Jessica Schexnayder
Julie Bell

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(303) Get Published! Because if Nurses Don't Publish, Nursing Will Perish: Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (JNN) Session

Level: Intermediate
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
DaiWai Olson, PhD RN CCRN FNCS

Room: Grand Ballroom A/B (5th floor)

Journal of Neuroscience Nursing (JNN) Office Hours

9:30 – 10:40 am CDT

Room: Grand Ballroom A/B (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, 0.5 CE contact hours)

9:40 – 10:10 am CDT

(304) The Neuro Response Nurse: An Innovative Approach to Supporting the Rural Level 1 Academic Medical & Comprehensive Stroke Center

Level: Beginner
Track: Quality/Safety/Process
Carmen-Lee Westenfeld, MSN RN CNR
Shawna-Markie Malynowski, RN
Elle McGraw, BSN RN SCRN
Bridgette Normandin, BSN RN

Serphore Thomas-Mathurin, MSN

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

(305) A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Identifying the Pitfalls to Early Recognition of Posterior Circulation Stroke

Level: Intermediate
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
Dawnielle Feucht, BSN RN SCRN
Rita Muldoon-Laccone, MSN RN-BC SCRN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(306) Dirty Mouth? Clean It Up! Optimizing Oral Care Practice in a Stroke Unit

Level: Intermediate
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Ashley Higgins, MSN APRN ACCNS-AG CCRN CNRN SCRN
Christine Bass, MSN RN CNL

Room: Borgne (3rd floor)

(307) I Don't Want to Use Medications! How to Help Patients Manage Mirgraines Without Medication

Level: Expert
Track: Special Topics
Amy Larson, APRN CNP

Room: Maurepas (3rd floor)

Break with Posters

10:10 – 10:40 am CDT

Room: Grand Foyer (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (4 sessions, .05 CE contact hour)

10:40 – 11:10 am CDT

(308) SEEG Surgery Journey as an Epilepsy Nurse and a Caregiver

Level: Intermediate
Track: Seizure/Epilepsy
Amy Matzkanin, BSN RN CNRN

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

(309) Matters of the Heart: Recognizing Large-Vessel Occlusion Strokes in Cardiovascular Surgery Patients

Level: Intermediate
Track: Cerebrovascular/Stroke
Breanna Cabecerias, MSN RN PHN CNL ASC-BC CNRN SCRN
Jessica Newsom-Wilkinson, MSN PHN
Dharati Trivedi, MD BSc CCRC ACRP

Room: Grand Ballroom C (5th floor)

(310) Debunking the Mystique: Breaking Down the Neuro Assessment for Novice Neuro Nurses Utilizing Simulation

Level: Beginner
Track: Anatomy/Physiology/Neuroassessment
Denelle Hebert, BSN RN SCRN
Anna Ellis, BSN RN CCRN SCRN

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)

(311) The Impact of COVID-19 on Esthesioneuroblastoma: Diagnostic Challenges and Innovative Solutions

Level: Intermediate
Track: Neuro-Oncology
Ebonye Green, DNP ACNPC-AG CNRN SCRN APRN FNCS

Room: Grand Chenier (5th floor)

Concurrent Sessions (2 sessions, 1 CE contact hour)

11:20 am – 12:20 pm CDT

(312) Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) Session

Level: Intermediate
Track: Professional Development
Joan M. Walsh, DNP APRN-CNS CCNS-BC CNRN SCRN CHSE
Jennifer L. Wessol, PhD RN CCRN CNRN
Elizabeth A. Crago, PhD RN CEN
Joan L. Censullo, PhD FAHA
Chen-Chen Tu, DNP ARNP-CNS ACNS-BC CNRN SCRN NPD-BC MedSurg-BC

Room: Grand Couteau (5th floor)

(313) "Why Is My Patient on Two Steroids?" and Other SAH Conundrums

Level: Intermediate
Track: Pharmacology
Ashley Higgins, MSN APRN ACCNS-AG CCRN CNRN SCRN
Mavis Robinson, RN SCRN

Pharmacology hours: 0.5

Room: Grand Ballroom D/E (5th floor)