At its annual conference earlier this month, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) announced that Niloufar Hadidi, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC, FAHA, Associate Professor (tenured) and Coordinator of the Adult/Gero Clinical Nurse Specialist/Doctor of Nursing Practice (CNS/DNP) Program at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn., has been elected to the 2018-2019 NACNS Board of Directors. Hadidi has been a member of NACNS since 2012.
Hadidi also served as president of the Minnesota Affiliate of NACNS (MN NACNS) from 2013 to 2014. As such she increased state membership to the highest level since the affiliate was formed in 1997 and added a student representative to the board to increase outreach efforts to advanced practice nursing students. Hadidi also serves on the NACNS Core Competency Revision task force.
“This is a time of both challenge and opportunity for the clinical nurse specialist role,” said Hadidi. “I am excited to join the NACNS board so that I can work increase the opportunities for clinical nurse specialists within our national health care system and address the challenges. Clinical nurse specialists have a unique set of skills and knowledge and I’m eager to expand the visibility of the CNS role and show how CNSs positively impact and contribute to improving care for patients, families and communities.”
Hadidi is a tenured Associate Professor and heads the Adult/Gero CNS/DNP Program at the University of Minnesota. Under her leadership, the program has doubled in size. In addition to NACNS and MN NACNS, she’s also a current member of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses and the American Heart Association-Stroke Council.
“We are so pleased to have Niloufar join our board of directors,” said NACNS Executive Director Melinda Mercer Ray, MSN. “Her enthusiasm and professionalism are infectious. She is eager to increase the association’s circles of influence, both in nursing and health care. Her passion will be a tremendous asset as we work to strengthen and solidify the CNS role in legislative, regulatory and educational areas.”
Hadidi is an Emerging Geriatric Nurse Scientist Mentor; served on the planning committee for the National Hartford Centers of Gerontological Nursing Excellence’s Leadership Conference in 2013, served as President of the International Interventional Neurology Conference’s Nursing Symposium in 2012 and was the co-lead of the Gerontological Journal Club at the University of Minnesota from 2011-2012.
Hadidi earned her BSN, MSN and PhD from the University of Minnesota. She also was a Claire M. Fagin Fellow at the John A. Hartford Postdoctoral Fellowship from 2010-2012 at the University of Minnesota. Hadidi won the University of Minnesota’s Public Service Award and the Excellence in Neuroscience Nurse Educator Award from the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses in 2017.
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Founded in 1995, The National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists is the only association representing the clinical nurse specialist (CNS). CNSs are advanced practice registered nurses who work in a variety of specialties to ensure high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered care. As leaders in health care settings, CNSs provide direct patient care and lead initiatives to improve care and clinical outcomes, and reduce costs. NACNS is dedicated to advancing CNS practice and education, removing certification and regulatory barriers, and assuring the public access to quality CNS services.