The Complete Geriatric Certification Course

Linda Henrich, DNP, RN, GERO-BC. NPD-BC, CEN, is a geriatric nursing practice specialist at Kootenai Health, located in north Idaho. Linda has developed a program to improve the outcomes of our older patients who seek care in the acute care setting. Linda has been board certified in geriatric nursing through the ANCC since 2013 and also holds board certification in nursing professional development through the ANPD. Both of her advanced nursing degrees are focused on nursing education. Her teaching experience includes both academia and continuing education for licensed professionals. Linda’s professional goal is to have a positive impact on the care provided to our older population through detailed assessments and a clear understanding of individual goals.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Linda Henrich has an employment with Kootenai Health. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Linda Henrich is a member of the American Geriatric Society, the American Nursing Association, and the American Geriatrics Society.

 

Susann Varano, MD, is a Yale University-trained physician who is double board certified in internal medicine and geriatric medicine. Her expertise is sought currently as a geriatric consultant for medically complex residents/patients and as an adjunct professor teaching geriatric coursework to physician assistant students. Additionally, Dr. Varano is the principal investigator at Clinical Research Consulting. As such, she has completed over 200 clinical trials, has presented findings at numerous national/international conferences and her written articles have been featured in US News and World Report.

Dr. Varano has served as geriatrics course director and lecturer for the Yale University School of Medicine Physician Associate Program. Additionally, she was selected to work in the Yale University Hospital Affiliated Program, a position where she would give the prestigious Medical Grand Round Lectures to medical staff as well as community physicians.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Susann Varano is the principal clinical investigator with Clinical Research Consulting, LLC, and a geriatrician consultant with Maplewood Senior Living and Hamden Health and Candlewood Valley Rehabilitation. Dr. Varano receives a consulting fee, speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Susann Varano has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Steven Atkinson, PA-C, MS, is a board-certified Physician Assistant specializing in Geriatric Internal Medicine. He practices medicine in the greater Minneapolis area. In addition to his private practice, he has been on the faculty at the University of Utah since 1994 and has been involved in medicine for over 30 years.

Steven is the co-founder of Twin Cities Physicians, which serves older adults at nearly all levels of their care. He has presented nationally for over 15 years, primarily speaking about geriatric-related syndromes.

Steven is the author of Geriatric Pharmacology: The Principals of Practice & Clinical Recommendations, Second Edition, and also sits on several boards whose purpose is to elevate the level of care in medicine for the patients they serve. Steven has been described as a “dynamic” educator and one of the most engaging presenters around.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Steven Atkinson is the founder and co-owner of Twin Cities Physicians and Midwest Geriatrics Services, and he is the owner of Mindful Geriatrics, LLC. He provides legal counseling services to medical professionals and receives compensation. Steve Atkinson receives compensation for course development from Executive Links. He is adjunct faculty at the University of Utah. Steve Atkinson receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He formerly owned stocks/shares in Moderna, Inc. He is a stock holder with Eli Lilly. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Steven Atkinson is a member of the board for MDMA. He is a member of AMDA/PALTC, GMPA, and others. For a complete list, please contact info@pesi.com.

Debra Stern, PT, DPT, DBA, CLT, CEEAA, CFPS, is a full-time professor in the level Physical Therapy program at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Ft. Lauderdale. Her clinical experience has focused on geriatric rehab with an emphasis on balance integrity and fall prevention. Formerly the Director of Clinical Education, she is now actively engaged in community outreach that includes screening aging adults for balance integrity and fall risk. Dr. Stern initiated and serves as a faculty Clinical Instructor in a unique interprofessional clinical experience in the NSU Diabetes Optometry Clinic in a collaborative model. She served as the Physical Therapy representative in the Geriatric Education Center at NSU and is now the physical therapy representative in the HRSA funded South Florida Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) grant. In her role in the GWEP, Dr. Stern provides education on balance and fall risk screening to medical residents, fellows and attending physicians as well as other health professionals. She also provides education to medical and pharmacy students and other health professionals including occupational therapists, physical therapists, and nurses. Most recently, she recorded a presentation for physicians and other healthcare professionals for a national hospital corporation on prevention of falls in inpatient settings. As a long-time expert in risk management, Dr. Stern provides required Florida education on Prevention of Medical Errors, in which fall prevention is included. Dr. Stern is actively involved in ongoing research involving clinical education, interprofessional education, aging adults, diabetes and fall prevention and has shared her expertise nationally and internationally.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Debra Stern has an employment relationship with Nova Southeastern University and is the principal investigator for Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Debra Stern is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and the Florida Physical Therapy. She serves as a faculty mentor for the Diabetes Empowerment.

Edward G. Shaw, MD, MA, is dually trained as a physician and mental health counselor. He was the primary care partner for his late wife, Rebecca, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2007 at age 53 and died in 2016 after a 9-year journey. Ed was a practicing academic radiation oncologist for 23 years, specializing in the treatment of adults and children with brain cancer. In 2010, inspired by Rebecca’s journey, his medical interest shifted to dementia diagnosis and treatment, and with his additional training in mental health counseling, he founded the Memory Counseling Program in 2011, part of the Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine and the Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The program serves individuals, couples, and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia.

He is the author of four books. Along with coauthors Deborah Barr and Dr. Gary Chapman, he wrote Keeping Love Alive as Memories Fade: The 5 Love Languages and the Alzheimer’s Journey, which describes his moving personal story of care for Rebecca coupled with an innovative use of the 5 love languages in dementia counseling. He also wrote The Dementia Care Partner’s Workbook, a support group manual and self-study guide for dementia care partners, providing understanding, education, and hope for the long journey of dementia caregiving from diagnosis through end-of-life. He has also co-authored two resources for support group leaders, A Leader’s Manual for Dementia Care Partner Support Groups and A Support Group for People Living with Dementia: The Leaders Manual.

Dr. Shaw now devotes more time to public speaking, educating, and encouraging seniors, people living with dementia and their care partners, and medical/mental health/other healthcare professionals working in the fields of aging and dementia. He is also a part-time geriatric mental health counselor at New Salem Counseling in Winston-Salem and a PESI speaker for many years, on a variety of topics related to geriatrics and dementia.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Edward Shaw is an Emeritus Professor with Wake Forest School of Medicine and receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has stock ownership in Embodied Labs. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Edward Shaw is a member of American Counseling Association, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and the Society for Neuro-Oncology.

Kiplee Bell MD, PA, is a practicing physician, international keynote speaker, author, and founder of a multi-brand healthcare enterprise built at the intersection of clinical medicine, caregiving, and care leadership. She is the Founder and CEO of Impactful Care®, an innovative primary care and house-call practice, and the companion brands Impactful Caregiving® and Impactful Concierge, which together serve older adults, medically complex patients, and the caregivers who stand beside them.

 

Dr. Bell practices in parallel across two clinical environments rarely held by one clinician: emergency medicine within a major regional health system and longitudinal primary care in her own practice. That dual vantage point - seeing both the decisions primary care clinicians make for older adults, and the acute needs that surface in the emergency department - shape every piece of clinical education she delivers. Her teaching is not theoretical. It is drawn from what happens at 3:00 AM in the ED and the office visit that took place at 3:00 PM. 

 

She is the host of CAREPOD, a podcast focusing on the care economy, caregiving, and clinical leadership, and the author of The Work of My Mother's Hands: A Caregiver's Journey, a widely read book that reframes caregiving to shift the experience away from that of a private burden. Additionally, Dr. Bell is the founder of the philanthropic entity, Kevin John McAleese Foundation, and the architect of CareCab®, a medical-model nonprofit transport initiative serving older adults and children. 
 

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Kiplee Bell has employment relationships with Impactful Care/Impactful Caregiving, Jefferson University, and Virtua Hospital. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Kiplee Bell has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Katherine King, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist practicing in Massachusetts. She has advanced specialized training in Geropsychology and specific interests in adult development and aging, couples across the lifespan, gender/sexual/relationship diversity, existential concerns, chronic illness, and burnout recovery. She has worked and trained in various medical and mental health care settings such as inpatient psychiatry, primary care, palliative and hospice care, skilled nursing, home-based care, and elder protective services.

Dr. King is currently an associate professor, the Geropsychology concentration director, and a faculty member in the clinical health psychology concentration in the clinical PsyD doctoral program at William James College in Newton, MA. She is engaged in research on death anxiety, burnout, older adult personality assessment, adultism, and the Geropsychology mental health workforce shortage. Dr. King is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Gerontology Association. She completed her APA-accredited clinical psychology internship in the Geropsychology track at Bedford VAMC and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in Geropsychology at VA Boston Healthcare System.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Katherine King maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with the William James College. She is the co-host of Noble Mind Podcast and receives compensation as a faculty advisor. Katherine King receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Katherine King is a member of the Gerontological Society of America, the American Psychological Association, Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists, Massachusetts Gerontology Association, the Psychologists in Long-Term Care, and the Massachusetts Psychological Association. She is an ad hoc reviewer for Clinical Gerontologist.

Jamie Miner, PT, DPT, GCS, provides specialized services to many skilled nursing facilities and earned geriatric clinical specialist designation through the American Physical Therapy Association. She has experience in home health, acute care, outpatient vestibular rehab and fall prevention, acute rehab, sub-acute rehab, and long-term care. Additionally, she serves as a clinical instructor to many doctoral physical therapy students. Jamie graduated with a BS degree in PT from UNC Chapel Hill, a DPT from Shenandoah University in March 2003.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jamie Miner has an employment relationship with Cary Health and Rehabilitation. She receives a consulting fee, speaking honorarium, and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jamie Miner is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the Neurology Section and Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy, and the Vestibular Disorders Association. She serves on the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners.

Rachel Henderson, PhD, MS, RN, HCRM, is a nationally recognized expert on healthcare law, nursing documentation, and regulatory compliance. With over two decades of experience as a legal nurse consultant, senior leadership roles, and healthcare risk manager, she brings real-world case studies to life in her engaging and informative presentations.

Dr. Henderson is a published author in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks and a sought speaker known for her ability to simplify complex legal and regulatory issues. She is a proud member of the National Speakers Association and a past president of the Florida Speakers Association.

In addition to leading Medical Legal Concepts, LLC, she collaborates with law firms and healthcare organizations, analyzing medical records for compliance with standards of care and applicable regulations. She has served as an expert witness in medical negligence for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Dr. Henderson holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration, with a focus on Law and Policy. This degree equips her with deep expertise in healthcare regulations, ethics, and legal accountability.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Rachel Henderson has an employment relationship with Medical Legal Concepts. She receives royalties as a published author and compensation as a legal nurse consultant. Dr. Henderson receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Rachel Henderson is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers, and the American Society of Professionals in Patient Safety.

Lois A. Fenner McBride, RN, MS, JD, is an honor’s graduate of the University of Maryland Graduate School of Nursing, Undergraduate School of Nursing, and University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. She is an attorney admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Federal Bar and the Maryland Bar. Nurse-Attorney Fenner is a compact licensed registered nurse and a certified clinical nurse specialist.

She is a founding member of The American Association of Nurse Attorneys, past president of the Monumental Bar Association, a member of the Women’s Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers Association. Nurse-Attorney Fenner has been recognized by the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys with the Distinguished Women in Law award and has been recognized as a Baltimore Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Law, with a selection as a Super Lawyer twice.

Nurse-Attorney Fenner’s law practice today focuses on medical/healthcare litigation and consulting including medical malpractice, licensure, credentialing, administrative and litigation matters. She is a dynamic speaker with a realistic hands-on approach to resolving issues and minimizing risks for patients, clients and health care professionals.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Lois Fenner maintains a private practice. She receives compensation as a Nurse Attorney, Consultant, Educator-Lecturer, and Nurse Clinical Specialist. Lois Fenner receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Lois Fenner is a member of the Maryland Bar Association, the American Nurse-Attorney Association, the American Bar Association, and others. For a complete list, please contact info@pesi.com.

Dr. Michael Chua is a Physical Therapist practicing in Northwest Tennessee. His clinical interest involves pain management, geriatrics and dementia management. He enjoys treating geriatric patients and bringing out the best in them using positive treatment approaches. His dynamic work setting in a rural area provides an opportunity to treat a wide range from geriatrics to orthopedics. He is also the chief inspirational officer for TN Therapy Outsource, LLC and GeriHab Physical Therapy and Wellness, and the author of Misunderstanding Dementia, Time to Fly, 365 Daily Tips for Dementia Caregivers, Caregivers Freedom Journal, and 10+ books.

He received his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from University of Perpetual Help at Rizal in 1999, and his Doctorate in Physical Therapy at University of Incarnate Word at Texas in 2014, wherein he graduated Cum Laude. He is a Certified Clinical Instructor, a Certified Dementia Practitioner, and a Senior Fitness Specialist. He is a member of American Physical Therapist Association, Tennessee Physical Therapy Association, National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, International Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, Academy of Filipino-American Physical Therapists, and The National Academy of Sports Medicine. Michael stays up to date with the latest physical therapy and dementia re-direction techniques by attending various continuing education seminars to provide evidence-based and cost-effective treatment.

He also runs a twice a week show called "Alternative Healthcare Careers for Rehab Professionals" every Tuesday and Thursday, and he has grown that group to 30,000 plus members. He also Moderates a group called "Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support Group" with 35,000 members, and teaches his certification course called "Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care", the required course to be a Certified Dementia Practitioner through the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Dr. Michael is married to Puppen and are proud parents to Alyssa, Akeisha and Izaiah. Currently, Michael and his family live in Martin, Tennessee.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Michael Chua has employment relationships with TN Therapy Outsource, LLC, TN Health Management, and Intrepid, USA. He is a podcast host and trainer and receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Chua receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Michael Chua is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

Lores J. Vlaminck, MA, BSN, RN, CHPN, LALD
Principal, Lores Consulting, LLC

Lores Consulting, LLC has been a leading provider of consulting, training, and mentoring for hospice, assisted living, home care and related health care providers for the past 17 years. "Lores has the heart of a teacher, and her passion is to support others in the hospice, palliative, and the home care industry."

Lores Consulting, LLC provides providers with education training and mentoring as well as mock surveys, agency analysis and audits. Drawing on her 45 years of nursing experience, Lores seeks to empower all her client providers to utilize their skills and expertise to reach their greatest potential. Her extensive nursing background includes clinical practice in cardiac and intensive care, outpatient clinic services, as well as serving as a home care and hospice administrator/director for 19 years in greater Minnesota.

In addition to being a certified hospice and palliative care nurse, Lores is also a trainer for the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) curriculum that encompasses palliative and hospice care. She was named the "2010 Geriatric ELNEC Educator of the Year" by ELNEC.

Speaking topics include end-of-life care, grief and loss, compassion fatigue, professional boundaries, pain and symptom management, and many health and employee related topics. Lores also offers national, international consulting and mentoring services – encompassing education, training and compliance evaluations – to hospice and home care agencies, assisted living providers, and long-term care facilities.

As Principal of Lores Consulting, LLC, Lores sees her company’s mission to coach and encourage care providers to work to the ‘top of their license’ to ensure excellence in their delivery of care.

Currently, Lores serves as a board member of three non-profit health care organizations, and is a national speaker for PESI Healthcare and ELNEC. Lores is a graduate of Bethel University in St Paul, MN and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, as well as a master’s degree in nursing education.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Lores Vlaminck receives compensation as an independent consultant, coach, and educator. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Lores Vlaminck is a member of the American Association of Palliative Medicine, the Minnesota Network for Hospice and Palliative Care, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association.

Tamatha Arms, PhD, DNP, PMHNP-BC, NP-C, is an adult/geriatric and psych mental health nurse practitioner. She has 25 years of clinical experience and 9 years in academia where she teaches psychopharmacology. Her clinical expertise and research area of focus is on geropsychiatry.  

Tamatha has presented and published nationally and internationally to various interdisciplinary audiences on geropsychiatry. She is the author of more than 20 articles, 5 book chapters, of which 3 were invited, and she has co-authored a book. She is active in international nursing organizations (Sigma) as the North America Region 13 coordinator, and at the national level (the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association [GAPNA]), chair of the Geropsych SIG.

 

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Dr. Tamatha Arms is an Assistant Professor at The University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is a published author and receives royalties. Dr. Arms receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Tamatha Arms is a member of the Southern Nurse Research Society, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, GeroPsyche Focus group, Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association, American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the Sigma Theta Tau International Nu-Omega chapter.

Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, CAPS, SHSS has decades of experience across a broad area of occupational therapy practice and includes more than 11 years in academia teaching both adult and pediatric treatment courses, neuroscience, and research. Sue has written several chapters in occupational therapy textbooks, presented at multiple conferences including as part of AOTA’s Stroke Specialty Conference team, and has multiple international peer reviewed publications including a Cochrane systematic review. Her research areas have included evidence-based practice, therapists’ decision making and clinical reasoning, and sensory impairments after stroke. Sue has worked on developing her private practice serving adults in their homes and her clinic, which she started in 2016. Her practice includes working with stroke survivors, aging in place and home safety, and contracts with the Developmental Disability Administration and Area Agency on Aging.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Susan Doyle is the owner and occupational therapist for OT Lifestyle Solutions PLLC, Next Level Occupational Therapy. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Susan Doyle is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association. She serves on the review panel for Occupational Therapy in Health Care.

Liz Friedrich, MPH, RDN, CSG, LDN, FAND, NWCC, is a registered Dietician Nutritionist and president of Friedrich Nutrition Consulting, which provides a variety of nutrition consulting services with a focus on gerontological nutrition. Liz has more than 25 years of experience as a hands-on clinician in long-term care facilities. She has also authored or co-authored numerous articles in journals and magazines on nutrition and aging, wound healing, and end of life care. She is an accomplished speaker on those same topics as well other subject areas relevant to older adults. Liz also serves as an expert witness in cases against long-term care facilities and registered dietitian nutritionists. Liz is Board Certified as a Specialist in Gerontological Nutrition, is a fellow in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and is Nutrition Wound Care Certified.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Elizabeth Friedrich is the owner of Friedrich Nutrition Consulting and has an employment relationship with Becky Dorner & Associates. She is an expert witness for legal action against long-term care facilities and registered dietitians. Elizabeth Friedrich receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Elizabeth Friedrich has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Mary Ann Rosa, DNP, GNP-BC, CDCES, has 25+ years of experience working with patients, and helping patients manage cardiac disease and diabetes, and educating clinicians to decrease readmissions and improve outcomes. She is an associate professor, a board certified gerontological nurse practitioner, and a certified diabetes care and education specialist.

As a nurse practitioner, Mary Ann has experience in a cardiac angioplasty program, acute care, private practice, community care, extended care, and in program development. She co-developed, and implemented a community diabetes disease management program, developed and implemented a community heart failure disease management program, and implemented a telehealth program for Northwell, the third largest health system in the US.

She has presented locally at numerous events including post-graduate medicine, long-term facilities, many hospitals and universities, and nationally at events including the National Association of Home Care Annual Conference, the NLN Summit, OADN Annual Conference, NLN Technology Conference, The American Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Annual Conference, the VA Hospital System, and the Montana Health System. Mary Ann is a published author with articles in Home Healthcare Nurse including, “How a Heart Failure Home Care Disease Management Program Makes a Difference” and “The Interdisciplinary Development of a Diabetes Disease Management Program.”

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Mary Ann Rosa has an employment relationship with LIJ Home Care Network. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Mary Ann Rosa is a member of the American Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.

Audrey M. Stevenson, PhD, MPH, MSN, FNP-BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner with over 45 years of experience spanning inpatient and ambulatory settings – including urgent care, community clinics, and STI clinics – as well as public health and healthcare leadership. She holds master’s degrees in both nursing and public health.

Dr. Stevenson has published and presented nationally and internationally on topics relevant to advanced practice nurses and other healthcare providers. She currently works as a consultant and teaches graduate FNP and MPH students at several universities. Her public health leadership includes serving as division director of family health and clinical services at the Salt Lake County Health Department and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, as vaccination branch director for the Salt Lake County Incident Command – where she oversaw vaccination strategies for 1.2 million residents.

Serving on the statewide vaccine advisory board, she has collaborated on vaccine policy and recommendations. She joined the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases Board of Directors in 2025 and participates in national workgroup focused on immunization strategies to improve vaccine uptake and reduce vaccine-preventable disease.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Audrey Stevenson has employment relationships with the University of Utah and the University of Phoenix. She receives a speaking honorarium and consulting fee from Sequirus and Sanofi. She previously received a speaking honorarium from Merck and GSK. Audrey Stevenson receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties PESI, Inc. All relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations have been mitigated.
Non-financial: Audrey Stevenson is a member of the American Nurses Association and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, is one of the world's leading advocates and educators for anyone living with dementia or other forms of brain change.

Teepa is an Occupational Therapist with over forty ears of rich and varied clinical and academic experience. Her philosophy is reflective of her education, work experience, medical research, and first-hand caregiving experiences. Her advocacy efforts led her to the development of the GEMS® State Model for understanding the progression of dementia and changes in abilities. She also created the Positive Approach to Care® training strategies, which are effective techniques for anyone seeking to optimize care and support for those living with brain change. As the Education Director of Eastern North Carolina's Alzheimer's Association, she also helped to create the nation's award-winning DVD entitled, Accepting the Challenge: Providing the Best Care for People with Dementia. Her user-friendly approaches provide guidance and leadership to national efforts to promote best practices in care.

Teepa's company, Positive Approach to Care (PAC), was founded in 2006 and is now collaborating to improve dementia care in over thirty countries worldwide. PAC provides online and in-person services, training, and products to professionals, family members, the lay public, and people living with brain change. Please visit teepasnow.com for educational video clips, DVDs, books, information on individual certifications, online support groups, virtual and onsite trainings, or to subscribe to a free monthly newsletter.

Teepa presents with extraordinary expertise and humor to audiences large and small throughout the world. Please join in her mission to improve the culture of dementia care, one mind at a time.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Teepa Snow is the owner of Positive Approach, LLC. She has a consulting relationship with Duke University School of Nursing. She previously had a financial relationship with Because Adult Incontinence Products. Teepa Snow receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Teepa Snow is a member of Dementia Alliance International, the American Association of Geropsychiatry, The Society for Post Acute and Long Term Care Medicine, the NC Coalition for Long Term Care Enhancement, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association (NCOTA). She serves on the advisory committee for the Alzheimer Foundation of America.

Lori La Bey is a passionate advocate who searches for ways to shift our dementia care culture from crisis to comfort around the world. She was recognized by Sharecare and Dr. Oz as the #1 influencer online for Alzheimer’s. Maria Shriver honors Lori as an “Architect of Change” for humanity and Oprah named her a “Health Hero.” As a professional speaker and daughter of a mother with dementia for over thirty years, La Bey understands the existing challenges that geriatric healthcare professionals are faced with.

Lori started Alzheimer’s Speaks Radio in 2011, the first program dedicated to dementia in the world. She offers a webinar series titled, Dementia Chats. The webinar guests are living with a form of dementia. She has gone on to launch a video series, Dementia Quick Tips, and Dementia Map, a global resource directory. Lori’s ultimate goal is to connect people to best practices and facilitate needed conversations regarding dementia care worldwide.

Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan, CDCP, ANPC-C, DNP, has over 30 years of experience in the geriatric field. Previously she has worked as a nurse practitioner, director of nursing, and staff nurse across various settings as she has focused in on her specialty of geriatric/dementia care. Nanette shared her knowledge with others as a clinical assistant professor at East Carolina University College of Nursing, a clinical instructor at UNCG and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Nanette has presented nationally and internationally on dementia, pain management, caregiver issues, and topics specific to long-term care.

She is the author of Eldercare: The Comprehensive Guide to Caregiving and a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the non-pharmacological management of behavioral problems in dementia. Her expertise and research are recognized through published work in Clinics of North America and in book chapters and online continuing education modules. Nanette also serves as an expert witness for several law firms and was a Sigma Theta Tau Faculty Mentor.

Her educational accomplishments include an MSN from Florida State University, a DNP from Vanderbilt University and a postdoctoral fellowship in ethnogeriatrics at Stanford University.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan is the owner of Dr Nurse Nan Consulting. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Nanette Lavoie-Vaughan is a member of the Geriatric Advanced Practice Nurses Association, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the American Nurses Association, the North Carolina Nurses Association, and the American Society on Aging.