Another year has begun, and we are meeting it head on with enthusiasm and energy! This month, February, is American Heart Month. NPWH is proud to be a partner with the Million Hearts® campaign and to promote the Spread the Word campaign, and we are already hard at work developing the cardiovascular portion of our Well Woman Visit mobile app. We recognize the importance of providing more information about women’s heart health and distributing valuable tools to clinicians and their patients. In the spirit of women’s heart health this month, I ask you to please read Editor-in-Chief Beth Kelsey’s message and Suzanne Shugg’s article, and to please take a look at the tip sheet on antihypertensive medication adherence in our Clinical resources department.

I want to share with you some exciting experiences from our 17th Annual Premier Women’s Healthcare Conference, which was held this past October.
For starters, we launched a new Student Reporter Program, which was a huge success! We chose 10 students from around the country to participate in this program based on their interest and on recommendations from their faculty (Figure 1). Through an educational grant from Pfizer, we were able to provide transportation to and from the conference and cover registration fees and meals for the duration of the conference.

In return, the students met with NPWH board members and staff, networked with NP colleagues, attended all sessions, assisted as runners, offered assistance in the hands-on workshops, promoted the conference through social media, and recorded their daily experiences. An outbriefing with the students revealed that their experience was unmatched by any they had ever had before. Here is what some of the student participants had to say:

• “Participating in the inaugural student reporter cohort for NPWH was a humbling and rewarding experience, one I will never forget. I was able to learn about new and evolving research from experts in various fields; network with nurse practitioners, physicians, and researchers from across the country; and gain exposure to products and services I will utilize in the future. The conference exposed me to the breadth of information available through NPWH that will inform my current studies, as well as my future practice.”
• “Before the conference, I was having second thoughts about finishing school. I was not certain that I wanted to become a NP, but then I attended this conference, which gave me the inspiration and motivation I needed. Since the conference, I find myself excited about school again and I am driven to learn as much as I can so that I can apply it to my practice. This experience has changed my life. I don’t think I would have continued my education in this direction if I had not attended this conference, and I would not have been able to attend without being selected as a Student Reporter.”
• “I am thrilled to be graduating in May, and I am so excited to begin my career as a nurse practitioner. I have always had a passion for learning. The NPWH conference was my first experience attending a conference dedicated solely to women’s health issues. It was empowering to be surrounded by a group of other NPs and experts in this field. I have already had the opportunity to apply information I learned at the conference to real-life settings. Thank you so much for contributing to my education and for supporting my passion for women’s health.”

As you can see from the students’ comments, our Student Reporter Program provided a great opportunity for WHNP students. We hope to continue this program in 2015.

At the October 2014 conference, we were able to recognize NPs who are an inspiration to others by providing our 7th annual Inspiration in Women’s Health Awards. These awards were made possible by a generous grant from Teva Women’s Health. This year’s first-place winner is Diane Todd Pace, PhD, FNP-BC, NCMP, FAANP, a Clinical Associate Professor at the Loewenberg School of Nursing at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee (Figure 2A). Diane is the first NP to serve as President of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

We also honored three runners-up. Kayla E. Castañeda, RN, MSN, WHNP-BC, AOCNP, is a Faculty Associate in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine at Texas Tech University in El Paso (Figure 2B). She is also a women’s health and oncology nurse practitioner at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso. Kayla has piloted a cancer group for her patients that supports them through the course of their treatment. Paula Newman-Skomski, MSN, FNP-BC, ARNP, SANE-A, a nurse practitioner/forensic nurse examiner at Providence Intervention Center for Assault and Abuse in Everett, Washington, is the founder of Peoria Home, which will be a residential recovery program for woman exploited through sex trafficking and prostitution (Figure 2B). Susan Moskosky, MS, WHNP-BC, is the Acting Director of the Office of Population Affairs (OPA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Figure 2C). Under Susan’s leadership, the OPA worked jointly with the CDC to develop the Quality Family Planning Recommendations, the first federal evidence-based recommendations for high-quality family planning services delivery.

We at NPWH are looking forward to another exciting year. As always, are working to provide you with top-notch education and resources that support best practices and evidence-based care for women.

– Gay Johnson
Chief Executive Officer, NPWH