Women’s Healthcare in Advanced Practice Nursing

Ivy M. Alexander, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, is clinical professor of nursing and medicine and director of the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Connecticut (UConn). Her clinical, scholarly, and research interests are in midlife women's health care and increasing access to primary care for underserved populations. She has worked extensively with menopause and osteoporosis management and has published and presented widely regarding these subject areas, including two books, which have been translated into Spanish, Greek, and Italian. She has been principal investigator on studies evaluating women's relationships with their primary care providers; Black women's perceptions of menopause, midlife health risks, and self-management techniques used to manage menopause symptoms and reduce health risks; and osteoporosis risks and management. She has served as Project Director for multiple HRSA-funded programs supporting education and training of primary care NPs for underserved populations. She has consulted for national and international companies to develop educational programs, conduct research, and provide focused clinician education programs.

Versie Johnson-Mallard, PhD, ARNP, WHNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, Robert Wood Johnson Nurse Faculty Scholar alumna, is a National Certification Corporation board--certified women's health nurse practitioner, faculty, and Dean at Kent State University College of Nursing. Scientific discovery and funding were with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health, National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sexual and reproductive health clinical inquiry was the impetus to advance scientific knowledge about innovative educational interventions designed to promote reproductive health and cancer prevention among young adults.

Dr. Johnson-Mallard's board service, clinical interest, research, and publications are in the areas of women's health, sexual and reproductive health promotion, human papillomavirus (HPV)/cancer screening/prevention/vaccination, and behavior change in response to sex, race and ethic appropriate educational interventions. Dr. Johnson-Mallard provides consultation to partners who share interest in the development of education material, clinical guidelines, and policy around reproductive health and cancer prevention.

Elizabeth A. Kostas-Polston, PhD, APRN, WHNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, is a United States Air Force Veteran; Associate Professor of Nursing at the Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda MD; a board-certified women's health nurse practitioner at Holy Cross Hospital, Germantown, Maryland; and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar alumna. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Arizona State University, a Master of Science in Nursing with specialization in women's health (obstetrics, gynecology, and primary care of women) from the University of Florida, and a doctor of philosophy from Loyola University Chicago. Over the last 38 years, her clinical practice, scholarly activities, and leadership have impacted women's health---both within and outside of the U.S. Department of Defense. In her research role, Dr. Kostas-Polston's innovative scholarship is focused on enhancing military women's health and warfare capability through the development of innovative technologies designed to support and maintain urogenital health and operational readiness. She also works to effectively translate new knowledge to inform novel approaches to health promotion and infectious disease prevention in our nation's female warfighters when serving in austere environments across the globe. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR); the Department of Defense (DoD); the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) Nursing Honor Society; and the Faye G. Abdellah Center for Military and Federal Health Research Endowment. The primary aim of Dr. Kostas-Polston's clinical practice is to improve the health of women across the life space and their families. Toward this end, she works with others interested in the development of health promotion and disease-prevention strategies, evidence-based clinical guidelines, and health policy. She is a Fellow and the Immediate Past-Chair of the American Academy of Nursing's Women's Health Expert Panel. 

Joyce D. Cappiello, PhD, FNP, FAANP, is an Associate Professor Emeritus of Nursing at the University of New Hampshire, where she taught family nurse practitioner and pre-licensure nursing students. Her approach to education is through case-based and inquiry-based learning. She was a co-editor and case writer for A Day in the Office: Case Studies in Primary Care (2017), and authored numerous cases and simulations for the classroom, OSCE evaluation, and statewide AHEC projects. Her clinical, research and scholarly interests explore how nursing education ensures that graduates can provide expert sexual and reproductive healthcare. Her research promulgated core educational competencies for sexual and reproductive healthcare and early pregnancy decision-making. During her career, she provided prenatal care at an FQHC and comprehensive reproductive healthcare to men and women at a nonprofit feminist health center. Her most recent international research includes collaboration with Australian nursing educators and Kenyan activists working to improve the reproductive health of adolescents post-pandemic.

Heather S. Hubbard, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, CNE, is a board-certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner; Military Officer; and Instructor at Bradley University Department of Nursing. She has worked extensively to advance maternal health policy through leadership roles within the Defense Health Agency and as the DoD representative for the U.S. Surgeon General's Maternal Health Working Group.