2021 Annual Conference

Vince Holly has worked as an RN in critical care since 1996. He went on to graduate from Indiana University’s Adult Health CNS program in 2005. He has been Adjunct Faculty with Indiana University since graduation and has precepted multiple CNS students. Vince’s specialty focus is Critical Care, serving the adult and geriatric population. He is an active member in NACNS, the American Nurses Association, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, Central Indiana Organization of Clinical Nurse Specialists (CIOCNS) and Affiliate of NACNS, Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Indiana (CAPNI) and the International Council of Nurses APN/NP Network. Along with his membership in these organizations, Vince has received accolades and served in leadership positions. He received the AACN Circle of Excellence award in 2012. Vince is a past president of CIOCNS. He served on the NACNS Practice Committee for 6 years, the Board of Directors and was the President from 2017-2018. He currently serves as member of the CAPNI Legislative Committee. Vince has presented locally, state level and nationally on a variety of topics including: the role of the CNS, progressive mobility in ICU, Delirium prevention and treatment, Med/surg certification preparation, alcohol withdrawal, enteral feeding and professional development. Vince is also a co- editor of the book Clinical Nurse Specialist Role and Practice: An International Perspective.

Katherine Brown-Saltzman is the former co-director of the UCLA Health Ethics Center. Katherine’s work in ethics is a natural extension of her clinical practice which began in pediatric oncology and then focused on end-of-life care. In 2004, being a member of two ethics committees and co-chairing the UCLA Medical Center’s Ethics Committee, she co-founded the UCLA Health Ethics Center which led to helping develop a robust clinical ethics consultation service and a clinical ethics fellowship. She has been a co-investigator in ethics grants from AACN, ONS, Sigma Theta, was part of an NIH grant developing end-of-life education for medical students, as well as a PCORI grant on advocacy. Her most recent area of research is centered on clinical ethics. She has been active in developing interdisciplinary programs on sustaining self-care, moral distress, and ethics education, including jointly developing a clinical ethics fellowship at UCLA. She co-founded and has been president of Ethics of Caring, a non-profit that has provided annual ethics conferences for Southern California since 1993. The first National Nursing Ethics Conference in 2011 was modeled on Ethics of Caring and Katherine has been the co-chair of the planning committee throughout its tenure. She lectures nationally and internationally, has developed ethics and end of life care policies, and has published on such diverse topics as, ethics, professional self-care, end-of-life care, bereavement, spirituality, psychosocial care, guided imagery and cultural issues. In semi-retirement, a state of preferment, she is a lecturer at UCLA School of Nursing, writing about ethics, discovering her new home in Oregon, enjoying grandchildren, gardening and writing poetry.

Alaina DeKerlegand

Dr. DeKerlegand received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and further went on to obtain her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in 2017. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at AdventHealth Orlando in Orlando, Florida in 2018 and her PGY2 Infectious Diseases Residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in Saint Louis, Missouri, in 2019. She joined the team at Our Lady of the Lake in July 2019, where she serves as the Infectious Diseases and Antimicrobial Stewardship Specialist. She is involved with the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee (local and system levels), Research Committee, Education Committee, and COVID Pharmacy Task Force. Her interest areas include gram-negative resistance and fungal infections.

Emily Johnston

Dr. Johnston received her undergraduate training at Louisiana State University and further went on to obtain her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Xavier University of Louisiana College of Pharmacy in 2017. She completed her PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at Our Lady of the Lake in 2018. Dr. Johnston completed her PGY2 Critical Care Residency at Prisma Health Richland, in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2019. She is currently involved in Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center’s COVID-19 hospital taskforce. Her interests include sepsis, pain/sedation management, fluid management, and COVID-19 pharmacotherapy.

Linda Ledet

Dr. Linda Manfrin Ledet, DNS, APRN, PMHCNS-BC. Dr. Ledet is Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Louisiana School of Nursing. Dr. Ledet is certified as a Clinical Specialist in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Dr. Ledet is currently a board member of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. She has been in nursing education over 22 years and a RN for 36 years. Clinical experience, research, and expertise includes mental health nursing, the therapeutic relationship, intimate partner violence prevention, HIV infection risk behaviors, and professional boundaries. Dr. Ledet has served as an expert witness on professional boundaries for the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Dr. Ledet has multiple publications in her fields of specialties. Dr. Ledet has received several honors throughout her career, including being the recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau Xi Zeta Teaching Excellence Award and the Research Award, the LSFN Nightingale Awards 2020 Faculty School of Nursing Nurse Educator of the Year, the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty, the Allen A. Copping Award for Excellence in Teaching, the LSUHSC School of Nursing Caring Award and the PK Sheerly Nursing Entrepreneur Award.

Jane Swartz

Dr. M Jane Swartz serves as Director of Interprofessional continuing education at the University of Southern Indiana College of Nursing and Health Professions. She has served as content expert in the online Anticoagulation Therapy certificate program since 1996. Dr. Swartz participates in the education activities by The Anticoagulation Forum and works with the National Board of Anticoagulation Providers. Jane serves as adjunct assistant professor for the nursing graduate program for the CNS specialty courses. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2012 and board certified in Adult-CNS since 1996.

Tuesday, March 9: Virtual Cajun Cooking Class hosted by New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute

Learn to make classic New Orleans dishes like BBQ Shrimp and Pimento Cheese Grits with local chef experts! The class will be a highly interactive experience, and you’re encouraged to come with any and all culinary questions. You will receive recipes and shopping lists a week in advance so you can cook along with the chefs, or just tune in for the entertainment and inspiration! If you can’t tune in live, fret not — the session will be recorded and available to watch (and cook) at your convenience.

Wednesday, March 10: Virtual Trivia Tournament hosted by RezEvents

Test your knowledge and win prizes (and bragging rights) during our virtual trivia tournament! A live host will guide attendees through seven rounds of trivia. The game is easy to play, great for all levels, and there is plenty of time for mingling and socializing.