Advertise on podcast: Amplify Nursing

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we’re talking about food allergies, nursing education, and innovation. Our guest is Olga Kagan, a nurse, innovator, and founder of the Food Allergy Nursing Association. Olga shares the personal and professional experiences that led her to this work and why she saw a need to help nurses become better prepared to care for people with food allergies. We also talk about gaps in nursing education, the challenges people with food allergies face every day, and Olga’s own journey as an innovator—from learning to problem-solve in a resource-constrained healthcare system to finding her community in the nursing innovation space.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we’re talking about the power of communication, connection, and finding your voice as a nurse leader. Our guest is Britt DiNatale, a nurse leader, communications expert, and founder of Clinical Insight Collective. Britt brings a unique perspective to nursing, drawing on a career that spans clinical practice, business, marketing, and communications.  We talk about her unconventional path back to nursing, why she describes her career as a “labyrinth” rather than a ladder, and what she has learned about leadership along the way.  Britt also shares her thoughts on nursing identity, storytelling, authenticity, and the unique clinical and human expertise nurses bring to an increasingly AI-driven healthcare landscape.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we take a different approach, bringing you a live conversation from the Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship. Nurse leaders from across the country share what inspired them to pursue innovation, the challenges they hope to solve, and how human-centered design is helping them reimagine the future of nursing and healthcare.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we talk with Mark Lazenby, Dean of the UC Irvine School of Nursing, as he reflects on his journey from philosophy scholar to oncology nurse practitioner and academic leader.  Drawing from his work as an educator, clinician, and author of Caring Matters Most and Toward a Better World, he discusses leadership through the lens of trustworthiness, relational care, honesty, and ethics, and explores how nursing can help create a more compassionate and equitable healthcare system.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we talk with Erin Foley, Region 6 Director for the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Erin shares her journey into nursing—from early childhood experiences in a hospital playroom to a dynamic career as a CRNA—and reflects on how curiosity, mentorship, and persistence shaped her path. She discusses her nontraditional route into anesthesia, the moments that pushed her to grow, and how her passion for learning evolved into a deep commitment to advocacy and leadership. Erin also offers insight into the realities of modern CRNA practice, the critical role of policy in shaping healthcare, and why showing up—whether in clinical spaces or legislative arenas—can make all the difference.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, Dwayne Allyne shares his unexpected journey into nursing, the leadership lessons he developed through his clinical work and time in the Air Force, and his role as Board Chair of DNPs of Color. He discusses the importance of advocacy, representation, and creating pathways for more diverse nurse leaders, while also reflecting on how his own experience as a patient reshaped his perspective on care. Together, the conversation highlights the need for stronger support systems, greater equity in healthcare, and empowering nurses to lead at every level.

In this episode of Amplify Nursing, we speak with two influential voices in nursing leadership: Claire Zangerle, CEO of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the Chief Nurse Executive of the American Hospital Association and Ena Williams, President of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and Chief Nurse Executive at Yale New Haven Health. They discuss how leadership is evolving in today’s complex healthcare environment, why every nurse is a leader, and what skills and support the next generation of nurse leaders will need to navigate a rapidly changing future. The conversation also explores how mentorship, leadership development, and emerging perspectives from new nurses are shaping the profession. Together, they offer insight into how nurse leaders can remain adaptable, collaborative, and influential as healthcare continues to evolve.

On this episode of the Amplify Nursing Podcast, Marion Leary speaks with Ahrin Mishan, Executive Director of the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, about the foundation’s origins and its mission to support nurse innovators driving systemic change in healthcare. Together, they discuss the unique role nurses play in identifying gaps in care, advancing equity, and designing solutions that can transform health systems.

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to lead in nursing through a candid conversation with Dawn Bent, DNP, CRNA, FAANA, the Program Director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Drawing on her journey into nursing, shaped by family influence and a willingness to say yes to new opportunities, she reflects on leadership as a practice rooted in humility, observation, and collaboration rather than authority or title. She shares how her experiences in clinical care, education, national service, and even sports have shaped her approach to developing confident, team-oriented leaders, while also discussing the importance of representation, mentorship, and creating inclusive spaces within the CRNA profession. Ultimately, this conversation highlights how effective leadership is less about being in charge and more about lifting others, fostering growth, and empowering the next generation of nurse anesthetists to lead with confidence and purpose.

On this episode of this season of Amplify Nursing, we highlight a collaborative innovation program between Penn Nursing, the University of Stirling and NHS Forth Valley, supported by a Fullbright program grant.   this conversation is led by our very own Dr. Marion Leary, Director of Innovation,  at Penn Nursing, as she speaks with Prof Ashley Shepherd, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport at the University of Stirling; Wendy Nimmo, Interim Head of Efficiency, Improvement & Innovation at NHS Forth Valley; and Dr. David Watson, Corporate & Acute Director of Nursing at NHS Forth Valley.   Together, the four discuss how this partnership introduced human-centered design methodology to nursing education and practice, fostering innovation across academia and healthcare. The program adapted elements from the U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson Nurse Innovation Fellowship, training NHS nurse leaders to tackle real-world challenges. Highlights include building one of Scotland’s few dedicated NHS innovation teams to drive cultural change and technology adoption post-COVID, using design thinking to address ICU staffing and skill mix issues through empathy mapping and co-designed solutions, and plans to embed design thinking into undergraduate nursing curricula while expanding its use in solving organizational challenges. The conversation underscores the importance of end-user engagement, listening to staff, and collaborative innovation to transform healthcare delivery and highlights how international collaborations increase innovation’s spread in nursing and healthcare.

On this episode of the Amplify Nursing Podcast we speak with Dr. Stephanie Hoelscher. Dr. Hoelscher is Professor of Graduate Informatics and MSN Informatics Program Director at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. With nearly 30 years of experience in oncology, trauma, and informatics, she now focuses on advancing digital health and AI literacy for nurses. In our conversation, Dr. Hoelscher explains her creation of the N.U.R.S.E.S.™ AI Literacy Framework to help nurses integrate AI safely and effectively. She emphasizes foundational knowledge, ethical considerations, and avoiding over-reliance on technology, while advocating for nurse leadership in shaping AI-driven healthcare. Her work underscores that AI is a powerful tool, but human judgment and compassion remain irreplaceable.

On this episode of the AmplifyNursing Podcast, we talk with Dr. George Demiris, the Mary Alice Bennett University Professor in the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Perelman School of Medicine, and Associate Dean for Research and Innovation at Penn Nursing. Dr. Demiris discusses his work using technology and AI to support healthy aging. As director of the PennAITech Collaboratory for Healthy Aging, he highlights projects like Sense for Safety, which uses AI to predict and prevent falls among older adults. He emphasizes ethical design, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the importance of involving older adults and caregivers in developing real-world solutions. Dr. Demiris also shares how programs like PennAITech’s Innovation Fellows Program and the Summer Innovation Institute are preparing future leaders in AI and healthcare innovation.

On this episode of the Amplify Nursing Podcast, we talk with Rachael Acker, computer scientist, design strategist, and founder of Healthero. Rachael shares how her background in technology and user experience led her to healthcare innovation alongside nurses. She highlights the use of systems and futures thinking to design solutions with long-term impact and explains prompt engineering as the art of asking purposeful, context-rich questions to generative AI. Rachael discusses the difference between deterministic and non-deterministic AI and encourages listeners to use AI thoughtfully, to verify information, foster curiosity, and drive creativity in healthcare design.

On this episode of the Amplify Nursing Podcast, Dr. Jing Wang, Dean and Professor at Florida State University College of Nursing, shares her journey from community-based care to pioneering digital health and AI in nursing. She discusses the creation of the first MSN program focused on AI applications, designed to equip nurses with foundational knowledge in ethics, responsible use, and practical applications of AI. Dr. Wang emphasizes that while not every nurse needs a master’s degree, all should understand core AI principles through options like certificates and micro-credentials. She highlights AI’s potential to reduce administrative burden, support clinical decision-making, and combat burnout, while stressing the importance of nurses leading its integration to preserve human-centered care. Looking ahead, she calls for a united nursing voice in AI to ensure the profession shapes the future of healthcare innovation.

This season on the Amplify Nursing Podcast, we’re exploring the impact of AI in healthcare. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Suzanne Bakken, professor and Vice Dean for Research at Columbia Nursing. She reflects on her 50-year nursing journey, from critical care to leadership in biomedical informatics, and the evolution of her focus on systems thinking and problem-solving. The discussion highlights human-centered AI through five lenses from Anderson and Coiera: design, values, interaction, socio-technical systems, and implementation. Dr. Bakken emphasizes the need for nurses to be involved in AI development and evaluation, with core competencies in ethics, model understanding, and critical assessment. She also addresses bias and equity, underscoring the importance of vigilance, community engagement, and transparency. The episode closes with resources for nurses interested in building knowledge around equitable AI.