Keynote Speakers
Keynote speaker: Leanne Currie, PhD, RN
Associate Professor, University of British Columbia, School of Nursing
Title: AI - A vision for supporting nursing practice
Abstract: We are entering the next generation of technologies to support nurses' work. Machine learning, NLP and other AI methods have the potential to truly enact what nursing informaticians and researchers have been striving for since the 1950s. This presentation will focus on considerations to enact the vision for AI methods to support nursing work including data collection as a byproduct of the care process, dis-invisibilisation of nursing work, and true support of nurses clinical decision making across contexts.
Bio: Dr. Leanne Currie is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia School of Nursing where she conducts research in the field of nursing, biomedical and health informatics. Dr. Currie worked as a critical care nurse for 15 years before completing her Masters in Nursing Informatics from University of California, San Francisco in 2001. She attained a PhD in Nursing Informatics from Columbia University School of Nursing in New York City in 2004, where she was funded as a pre-doctoral trainee with the US National Library of Medicine in Columbia University Department of Biomedical Informatics. She was faculty at Columbia University School of Nursing between 2005 and 2010. Since 2010 she has been faculty at UBC School of Nursing in Vancouver. Her program of research focuses on i) computerized clinical decision support systems, ii) measurement of informatics competencies, iii) user-centred design methods, and iv) information architecture. Since 2005, she has been principal investigator or co-investigator on over $17 million in grant funding with over 100 peer reviewed publication and 150 presentations. She has supervised over 60 students including current and future leaders in nursing informatics research and practice. Her students are working in areas such as global health informatics, patient safety informatics, clinical informatics, usability evaluation, informatics leadership, and informatics competencies.
Keynote speaker: Michelle Acorn, DNP, NP PHC/ADULT, MN/ACNP, FCAN, CGNC
Chief Nurse, Nursing and Programmes, International Council of Nurses
Title: Nurses leading and leveraging AI
Abstract: Strategic alignment and predicted global systems influence, impact and capacity are paramount. The lens of safety, efficiency, nurse- patient relationship, and ethical considerations for transformation will be highlighted. Comprehension, competence and confidence are key to nurses driving dialogue, design, and data across professional domains of practice.
Bio: Dr. Acorn, is a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner/Nursing Practice, dually registered as both a Primary Health Care and Adult Nurse Practitioner. Michelle holds national nursing certifications in Emergency and Gerontology and an international certification as a Global Nurse Consultant. Michelle was inducted as an inaugural Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN) and is also an inaugural international Miller Foundation Post-Doctoral System Chief Nurse Executive Fellow in the Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy at Case Western University. Her diverse clinical expertise includes practicing in the Emergency, as a Hospitalist, innovating GAIN (Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Networks), and pioneering the most responsible provider (MRP) impacts of a NP–led model of inpatient hospital care and primary care in corrections. In 2018, Michelle transitioned to executive leadership modernizing the Provincial Chief Nursing Officer role in Ontario, Canada to provide ministerial strategic nursing expertise as the technical and clinical advisor. She co-chaired the national Principal Nursing Advisors Task Force and acted as the Canadian delegate. Her scholarship and knowledge translation are in textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, evidence informed toolkits, and quality improvement initiates. She is recognized for her leadership, mentorship, preceptorship, and teaching. Michelle has served as Chief Nurse at ICN since May 2021. She will be inducted as Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in October 2021 (FAAN).
