Learning Center

Alison Rich Mason serves as the system director, professional practice, providing oversight and leadership for nursing practice for CommonSpirit Health, Patient Care Services. In her current role, she provides facilitation and oversight in the management of clinical practice. Alison is also the system lead for CommonSpirit’s Nursing Professional Practice Council. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and has presented at national and international conferences on evidence-based practice and clinical informatics. Her interview with Health Leaders on strategies for implementation of an online knowledge resource across a large health system was published in 2017. She holds bachelor’s degrees in art and nursing, and a master’s of science degree in healthcare informatics from the University of Colorado, Denver.

Amanda Saba is a researcher at the Nursing School of Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and at the Hospital Sírio-Libanês, holds a Master’s in Medical Science from the USP Medicine School, and became a specialist in cardiology from the Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo. She has 8 years of experience in vascular access, having worked in a public hospital, Hospital das Clínicas, and a private one, Hospital Sírio-Libanês—the largest and the best hospitals in Latin America, respectively. She also has experience in critical care, costs, and teaching, and is a member of the Nursing Economic Dimension Management Group at the School of Nursing at USP."

Dr. Amanda Ullman is the inaugural professor and chair in pediatric nursing, conjoint between the University of Queensland and Children's Health Queensland, and a 2021-2022 Fulbright Future Scholar. She believes that children should be able to receive medical treatment in hospitals without harm, and her research focuses on improving the most common invasive procedure in pediatrics—the insertion of an intravenous (IV) catheter. This research has changed practice, reducing infection and pain and promoting efficient health care for children internationally, and has received considerable investments by the National Health and Medical Research Council as well as highly-competitive awards, more than 130 research articles, and two mHealth apps. In February 2022, according to ExpertScape, Dr. Ullman ranks as the top global expert in central venous catheters.

Dr. Andrew Bulmer is a professor of pathophysiology and is the colead of the Alliance for Vascular Access Teaching and Research (AVATAR) group at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. Professor Bulmer specializes in understanding the acute and chronic effects of various stressors on the heart, arteries, and veins. In his work with the AVATAR group, Dr. Bulmer is describing the effects of cannulation and catheter use on venous physiology and injury and uses ultrasound, haematology, and blood biochemistry to characterize the body's response. With this information, Dr. Bulmer's group is developing new ways to prevent injury and blood clots in order to prolong catheter patency and improve patient outcomes.

Barb Nickel, APRN-CNS, CCRN, CRNI®, is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at a health care center in Nebraska. She is responsible for staff development, competency assessment, and process improvement to optimize outcomes in multiple areas of clinical practice, including critical care, infusion therapy, sepsis, and new graduate transition to practice. Ms Nickel was a co-author of the 2021 Infusion Nurses Society Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice, was Chair of the 2024 9th edition of the INS Standards of Practice Committee and is chair of the 2027 INS Standards Committee. She has authored several publications and speaks nationally on optimization of infusion therapy outcomes. She also serves as Adjunct Research Fellow for Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Dr. Christy Smith received her BSN and MSN from East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She worked as an oncology and pediatric intensive care nurse before working as the pediatric provider for the Johnson City Downtown Clinic with ETSU. Dr. Smith worked as a nurse practitioner in outpatient radiology, then transitioned to nursing education, where she taught nursing for several years while pursuing her PhD in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Smith most recently served as the director of professional development for Renuven Health Partners. She brings a wealth of nursing knowledge and experience to Versafusion, providing oversight of nursing services and direct patient care.

Chrysta Maiers is a clinical integration consultant with B. Braun Medical. She began her career in the medical field 20 years ago as an army combat medic where an overseas deployment motivated her to pursue an RN degree. After spending 3 years at University of California San Diego’s surgical ICU she transitioned to the Cardiac Cath Lab at Palomar Medical Center, where she quickly climbed the ranks to nursing supervisor over vascular access, endoscopy, cardiac cath lab, and interventional radiology. In 2015, Chrysta transitioned to clinical consulting at a major medical device company, where she supported health care organizations through their transition to new infusion systems. In this role, she also served as the western region field trainer, working to standardize education across the organization as well as supporting new clinical consultants and training new contract educators. She has been employed by B. Braun since 2020 and currently works to support organizations on their journey to EMR-Smart Pump Interoperability, guiding workflow discussions, providing clinical decision support, supporting integration go-lives, and tracking ongoing success."

Dr. Denice Gibson is a clinical nurse specialist for the HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Cancer Transplant Institute, in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has been a clinical nurse specialist for more than 30 years, supporting bone marrow transplantation, leukemia, cellular therapy, and an oncology service line. Dr. Gibson works within the 3 spheres of influence: patient care, the profession, and the community. She is active in the Oncology Nursing Society as the State Healthcare Policy Liaison and with the Arizona Nurses Association Public Policy Committee.

Jocelyn Hill is a clinical nurse specialist in Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia. She has been working as an advanced practice nurse for 30 years with expertise in IV therapy, vascular access, and oncology. She is involved in policy development and implementing best practice clinical guidelines in relation to vascular access and infusion therapy at local, national, and international levels. Jocelyn holds certifications, and has published work and presented education sessions in Canada and internationally. She is chair of the Vancouver Canadian Vascular Access Association (CVAA) Chapter and Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Network, and has served as president for the AVA in 2021 and as president for the Canadian Vascular Access Association from 2012-2014.

Dr. Leonard Mermel is Professor of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Adjunct Clinical Professor, University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy; and Medical Director, Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control at the Lifespan Hospital System. He was 2005 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) president, 2014 SHEA Mentor Scholar Award recipient, 2016 recipient of the Milton W. Hamolsky Outstanding Physician Award from the Rhode Island Hospital Medical Staff Association, 2021 SHEA Senior Scholarship Award recipient, and 2021 Rhode Island American College of Physician Milton Hamolsky Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. He was a past recipient of the Ralph A. Kinsella, Sr. Memorial Tribute Award from St. Louis University Hospitals, SHEA Young Investigator Award, Brown Medical School Department of Medicine Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Teaching, Brown Medical School Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Brown Medical School Certificate of Recognition for Exemplary Teaching. On June 15, 2016, his birthday, a resolution was passed by the Rhode Island House of Representatives observing that day as Dr. Leonard Alan Mermel Day in Rhode Island. Dr. Mermel has coauthored US guidelines on prevention and management of intravascular catheter infections as well as over 350 articles, textbook chapters, and abstracts. His research focus has been on the prevention of health care-associated infections.

Lisa Gorski, MS, RN, HHCNS-BC, CRNI®, FAAN, has worked for more than 35 years as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and educator for Wheaton Franciscan Home Health and Hospice, which is now Ascension at Home. As a CNS, she developed a home infusion therapy program in collaboration with the pharmacy and continues to provide infusion-related education for home care nurses as well as direct patient care. Ms Gorski received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing. She is the author of several books and more than 7 book chapters and journal articles. She is an INS past president (2007-2008), past Chair of the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation (INCC) Board of Directors and has served as the chair of the INS Standards of Practice Committee for the 2011, 2016, and 2021 editions and Co-Chair for the 2024 Standards. Ms Gorski was also the Chair for the 2017 and 2024 INS Vesicant Task Force. She was inducted as a fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in 2006, named the CRNI® of the year by INCC, and named 2011 CNS of the Year by the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists. Ms Gorski speaks nationally and internationally on standards development, infusion therapy/vascular access, and home health care. Over the years, she has addressed the Standards in multiple presentations in the US, China, Europe, and Middle Eastern African and Latin American countries.

Lynn Hadaway has 50 years of experience in infusion nursing. Her clinical experience comes from infusion therapy teams in multiple acute care settings. She is president of Lynn Hadaway Associates, Inc., an education and consulting company started in 1996. She holds two national certifications—infusion nursing from the Infusion Nurses Certification Corporation and nursing professional development from the American Nurses Credentialing Corporations—as well as a master’s in education from the University of Georgia. She has authored more than 75 published articles and 8 textbook chapters on infusion therapy and vascular access and was the clinical editor for Infusion Therapy Made Incredibly Easy. She served on the Infusion Nurses Society Standards of Practice committees to revise the 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021 Standards of Practice, and served on the committees to revise the 2014 and 2022 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Compendium (SHEA) CLABSI chapter and the 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) CLABSI Implementation Guide.

Nancy Moureau, PhD, RN, CRNI®, CPUI, VA-BC, is a globally recognized leader and the founder of PICC Excellence, Inc., a premier provider of education on infusion therapy and vascular access device (VAD) insertion and care for over 3 years. Dr Moureau’s extensive clinical experience includes pediatric, neonatal, intensive care unit (ICU) peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC)/IV teams, and home infusion care.

As CEO of PICC Excellence, she leads the development of over 8 online educational courses and pathways, emphasizing insertion competency and evidence-based practices. Her responsibilities include education development, research, global speaking engagements, legal reviews, manufacturer consulting, and active clinical practice for peripheral and central vascular access.

Dr Moureau pioneered PICC Certification™ (CPUI™) and Neonatal PICC Credentialing (CNPI) programs, validating inserters' education and competency. Most recently, she introduced a systematic UGPIV Mastery Learning Process, an ultrasound-guided peripheral insertion toolbox that earned the Infusion Nurses Society’s (INS) Seal of Approval—the first of its kind.

To connect with Dr Moureau, visit www.piccexcellence.com, or email her at nancy@piccexcellence.com.

Dr. Rebecca (Becca) Bartles is the executive director of infectious disease management and prevention for Providence. She has practiced infection prevention for the last 18 years in a variety of health care settings and has numerous publications focused on infection prevention staffing and endoscope safety. She received both her BS in public health, health education and her MPH in epidemiology from East Tennessee State University, and completed her Doctorate in Public Health in 2021 with a dissertation topic of assessing efficacy of an evidence-based Clostridiodes difficile screening tool using electronic medical record data. Dr. Bartles also teaches courses at the University of Providence for a master’s in infection prevention degree program that she founded in 2016. She has been CIC certified since 2008 and is an Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) fellow. Most notably, Dr. Bartles is the mother of four beautiful daughters, ages 8 to 24.

Dr. Sara Keller is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and an adjunct faculty in the Armstrong Institute of Patient Safety and Quality at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Department of Health Policy and Management in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She serves as the medical director of the Johns Hopkins outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) Program and of the Johns Hopkins Osler Medical Residency Program Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Pathway. Her research focuses on central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in the home and community settings, and is funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality."

Tricia Kleidon, RN, BSc (Nursing), MNSc (Nurse Prac), PhD Cand., is a Nurse Practitioner in Paediatric Vascular Assessment and Management at Queensland Children’s Hospital and Research Fellow at University of Queensland. She is part of a dynamic clinical and research team that prides itself on achieving positive outcomes for patients and minimizing vascular access-related complications. Ms Kleidon is currently enrolled in a PhD program of research entitled “Techniques and technologies to improve PIVC [peripheral intravenous catheter] first time insertion success and reduce complications and failure.”