Dear Colleagues,

It was wonderful to meet some NPWH members for the first time, as well as catch up with those members

I already knew, at our 19th Annual NPWH Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference in New Orleans. I have missed only one conference in these 19 years, and I can say without a doubt that they just keep getting better and better. This is the women’s healthcare conference that covers it all—contemporary issues to keep us up to date, challenging issues that we face clinically and professionally every day, and the very practical skills that we need to provide comprehensive, quality healthcare for women.

If you want to be inspired, as well as informed, this conference is always the one to attend. This year, we had the exceptional opportunity to have a conversation with Dr. Loretta Ford, founder of the nurse practitioner (NP) profession. Dr. Ford wove together the past and present for NPs. When asked what we needed to do to ensure that our profession thrives in the future, she advised us to “Keep moving!” Our keynote speakers, two NPs serving the rural Appalachian population with their health mobile, demonstrated the power of commitment and perseverance in helping those in need. As always, our four Inspiration in Women’s Health Award winners this year reminded us of the remarkable work our colleagues have accomplished.

If you attended the conference this year, you may have faced the same difficulty I did in terms of choosing among the breakout sessions. Fortunately, these sessions were recorded and are available free to conference attendees on the NPWH website E-Learning Portal. If you missed the conference, you can purchase individual recorded sessions and obtain CE credits. Each session is $10 for members and $15 for non-members.

Our annual NPWH conferences are so successful because of the extraordinary team effort of our Planning Committee, our Board of Directors, our staff members, and our CEO, Gay Johnson. We are also grateful for the meticulous behind-the-scenes work accomplished by our Education and Research Committees to ensure that the presentation and poster content is evidence based and relevant to NPs providing healthcare for women. Exhibitors at the conference afford us an opportunity to learn and get questions answered about women’s health products, services, and pharmaceuticals.

I extend a huge thank-you to everyone, including the attendees, who made this conference such a success. I want to extend a special thank-you to the New Orleans WHNPs who served on the Hospitality Committee. They greeted us at the Hospitality Booth with festive Mardi Gras beads and information on what we could see and do while in the Big Easy, as well as helping us in the break-out session rooms.

I am already looking forward to our 20th Annual NPWH Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference, which will take place on October 11-14, 2017, in Seattle. I hope to have the opportunity to meet more of you, as well as catch up again with the many colleagues I have already met.

The holidays are upon us! I wish you all happy time spent with family and friends as we move into the new year!