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)