AHNA's Practice Committee was formed in 2009 to serve as a resource and a support to AHNA members in their holistic nursing practice.
A few examples of the important work that the practice committee does include the following:
Click the links below to learn about the members of your Practice Committee.
Deborah Lewis is a Registered Nurse with 20+ years experience in mental health services. She is a second career nurse after 20+ years as a Respiratory Care Practitioner. Holistic practices have been a part of her practice beginning with music therapy in the NICU. Music, imagery and aromatherapy were part of her practice in an outpatient mental health clinic for older adults. She’s a consultant with the National Student Nurses’ Association for the Nomination and Election committee, preceptor for DNP students at University of Saint Augustine School for Health Sciences and volunteers with a local Street Ministry group. Gardening, an interest in roses, rare fruits and traveling round out her hobbies.
Candice Moore earned both her bachelor and master’s degrees in nursing from Loyola University Chicago. Her clinical focus is Medical-Surgical Nursing with emphasis on gerontology and community. Candice has worked in various nursing roles for nearly 50 years and is now retired. During her nursing career in acute care, long term care, home care, and academic settings, roles have included staff nurse, supervisor/manager, and nurse educator. She is a past President of the Loyola University Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing Alumni Board and a charter Board member of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities Board, through 2011.
Jim Welch has been on the Practice Committee for over 20 years. He has been chair and an active member of the committee. He worked to assure that Nurse Networking calls were approved for contact hours through AHNA. This has opened an opportunity for nurses to share stories and opportunities for Holistic Nurses to learn and grow. Jim has been a certified Holistic Nurse for over 25 years and a nurse for over 40. He works to improve opportunities for nurses from marginalized communities to be a part of AHNA and become certified. He is always willing to mentor nurses who wish to learn more and practice Holistic nursing in todays challenging healthcare environment and encourages nurses to join the practice committee to improve Holistic Nursing. Jim lives in southern Delaware with his husband of 44 years, dogs, bees, chickens, greenhouses and practices as a Wiccan priest bringing enchantment and love into the world.
Dr. Bulbrook is an educator in advanced practice of holistic nursing, psychotherapy, family therapy and energy therapies practice and teaching for over 50 years worldwide. As an expert in a variety of energy therapies she witnessed firsthand the magic offered in simple assessment, intervention strategies using the hands and heart to bring about life changes in health and well-being. Currently as of Feb. 1, 2021 she was elected as President of Akamai University where she had provided a platform for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) to online students all over the world studying for Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Degrees as well as Certificates in Continuing Education. And she serves as CEO of the Global Healing Alliance co-launched with nursing leader - Dr. Effie Chow. Dr. Mary Jo Bulbrook is a medical intuitive and founder of Transform Your Life through Energy Medicine (TYLEM) based on her distinguished 20-year career as a university professor and clinical specialist in psychiatric mental health nursing. Over the last three decades, Dr. Bulbrook has been a pioneer in the energy medicine field. She began teaching and practicing Therapeutic Touch and Touch for Health in the seventies, and moved to teaching her own energy material in the eighties. In 1989, Dr. Bulbrook was honored with the Canadian Holistic Nurse of the Year award. From this rich background, she was able to create a highly effective and easy to implement model of advanced psycho- spiritual treatment.
Dr. Ireland joined the nursing faculty at the University of Maine at Augusta in January 2021 after more than 29 years (and 18 moves) as part of an active-duty military family. She has held nursing licenses in 7 states across the country before settling in Maine. She has experience in emergency nursing, trauma nursing, intensive care, pediatrics, and school nursing before joining the ranks of academia. Dr. Ireland began working as a nurse educator in 2011 and has been privileged to teach at the university, community college, and technical college setting.
Assistant Professor of Nursing University of Maine at Augusta
Research interests: Emotional Intelligence, Civility, Healthy Work Environments, Holistic Nursing
Marian Long, RN, MSN, AHN-BC, HWNC-BC, CHTP/I has 39+ years of nursing experience in many settings, including outpatient clinics, hospital, long term care, home care, hospice, and nursing education. She has been active in the arena of holistic health since the early 1980s, teaching and providing Healing Touch, Aromatherapy, Guided Imagery, and other holistic modalities in hospital and community settings. She served as Nurse Planner for the AHNA 2013, 2014, 2018, and 2019 conferences and is an instructor for AHNA’s Integrative Healing Arts Program (IHAP), preparing nurses for Holistic Nursing certification. She currently serves on the AHNA Practice Committee and the AHNA Board of Directors. She lives in the forest of Northern Michigan where she enjoys gardening, reading about quantum physics, and playing her harp. Her email is michiganmarian@gmail.com
In private practice since 2006, Betsy provides education in mind body medicine to healthcare professionals, community groups, and individuals. Her focus in healthcare education has been to provide mind-body methods for alleviating compassion fatigue and burnout through mindfulness and self-compassion. She is a certified holistic nurse and certified yoga therapist and trained at UMass Center for Mindfulness and the Center for Mindful Self-Compassion as an accredited provider of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) programs. She received her BSN from Loyola University and a Master of Science in Mind Body Medicine from Saybrook University.
Rebecca is one of the two Co-Chairs of the Practice Committee. She has a career that has spanned directing QI and program development departments in acute, long term and mental health care, as well as state public health facilities; grant consultation for the NIH, National Cancer Institute; and as a tenured professor of nursing. She has published numerous nursing textbook chapters and articles, and is a public speaker, on preventive health care. Her education includes certification in Holistic Nursing, Wellness Coaching, gerontology, Reiki level 2 and Heartmath. She has served on many AHNA committees and believes that holistic nurses have a strong voice in bringing mind/body/spirit care to this country and the world.
I am a nurse educator, Family Nurse Practitioner, and a visionary. I have been a nurse clinician for 20+ years in which I have mostly worked around patients with complex chronic medical conditions. I am fascinated by holistic nursing practice, continued education, research, and innovation. I am currently pursuing my doctorate degree in nursing with expected completion in 2024. I am highly interested in innovative projects that enhance healthcare quality, access, and equity. I am deeply rooted in the nursing profession and would like to focus my future research around health & wellness among patients, and caregivers including nurses and other health care professionals.
Gabriela Raggi RN, MSN is a registered nurse with over a decade of nursing experience in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Gabriela has a passion for holistic nursing and she implements different holistic modalities within her daily routine as a manager for clinical quality and data analysis within a local health plan and with her patients on her other role as a visiting nurse. Gabriela is grateful to be part of the practice committee of the American Holistic Nurses Association and to learn from her holistic nursing colleagues on a regular basis.
Wendy DeGraffenried, a seasoned advocate for community health, is recognized for her outstanding achievements. She holds certifications as a school nurse and holistic nurse, with expertise in mindfulness, trauma-informed practices, neuro-linguistic programming, energy, and positive psychology. Wendy is an active member of professional organizations, including the National Association for School Nurses and the American Holistic Nurses Association. Her mission centers on helping others find balance and calm through her "BREATHE" program and "eM-Flo" initiatives, promoting holistic well-being. Wendy's dedication to holistic health continues to shape the future of community and nationwide well-being and mental resilience.
Holly Kapusinski MSN, RN, NC-BC, CPNP-PC, APRN, is Senior Faculty and the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program’s Course Coordinator at the Integrative Nurse Coach® Academy. She is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, board certified nurse coach, and sole proprietor of her integrative nurse coaching practice, Life Cycle Balance, and nurse coach consultant with Vitalize Care, offering individual and group coaching for hospital employees and companies. Holly is a national conference speaker, presenter, and author. She is a practice board member of the American Holistic Nurse Association, as well as a member of AHNA, holds a certification in mental health first aid, is a trained SANE adolescent-adult, holds advanced clinical education in nutrition from the Institute for Functional Medicine, and is actively pursuing certification as an eating disorder specialist. Holly loves to cycle long distances, learn, create connections with others, and share with others her love for holistic philosophy and healing.
Molly is an RN Epidemiologist and works for Washington State Department of Health. They have worked in multiple healthcare and administrative settings, including emergency care, acute care, clinical research, and government. They are a yoga teacher, pole performer, and herbalist and integrate the science of nursing into traditional medicinal modalities. In addition to full time work, Molly also has published several papers exploring the impact of the healthcare system on the embodied experience. They live in Montana, enjoy skiing, climbing, and biking in the mountains, and have two cats, Harold and Maude.
Dr. Sharon Tucker is Associate Dean for Health Promotion and Well-being and Director of the Center for Wellness and Prevention in the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University (OSU). She is also the Grayce Sills Endowed Professor in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing in the College of Nursing (CON) and Director for the Implementation Science Core for the Fuld Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Institute for Nursing and Healthcare. Prior to joining OSU in 2017, she served for 15 years as director for research, EBP and quality for two separate large, Magnet-designated hospital programs, Mayo Clinic and University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.