It is time once again for elections. The followng candidates are running for office.  A link for voting will be sent to current members. If you would like to vote,  please make sure that your dues are current. If you have any questions, please email us at floridanpnetwork@gmail.com.  Thank you again for your participation.

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First Vice President of Legislation

Doreen Cassarino, DNP, ARNP-BC, ADM-BC, FAANP
Dr. Doreen Cassarino is a family nurse practitioner from Naples, Florida in practice providing primary and specialty diabetes care where she has improved patient outcomes by developing an innovated pre-diabetes program and an interprofessional care model for patients with diabetes. She was one of the first of 300 NPs nationwide to hold the prestigious Board Certification in Advanced Diabetes Management.

Dr. Cassarino received a Bachelor of Science Degree Nursing, Cum Laude from the University of South Florida, Fort Myers Florida in 1997, Masters of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner Barry University, Miami Shores, Florida in 2000 and Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida in 2013.

Dr. Cassarino is  actively involved in legislative activities at a local, state and national levels including lobbying on healthcare issues pertaining to nurse practitioners and their clients. While serving as FNPN president she directed the development of a strategy that propelled NP legislation to historic success and is committed to continuing to build these past and ongoing legislative gains. She has served as the Florida Representative to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the  Legislative Vice President for the Nurse Practitioner Council of Collier County and is the current co-chair of the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses. Recently she completed the AANP Leadership Program Inaugural Cohort and was appointed by the Governor to the Board of the Florida Center for Nurses.

Dr. Cassarino has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades including AANP Florida Advocacy Award, Florida Nurses Association Great 100 Nurses and recognition as a model of exemplary leadership by the Institute of Medicine/Robert Wood Johnson Florida Action Coalition. 

Pamela V Johnson DNP, ARNP, FNP-BC
Visions for Florida Nurse Practitioner Network (FNPN) includes promoting continued education as the cornerstone of professional growth and development, in addition significantly impacting legislation that affects advanced practice nursing. Florida Nurse Practitioners have opportunity to align with other disciplines on issues of importance that affect our role as primary care providers within evolving health systems.

Examples include maintaining ability to credential as Medicaid primary care providers and care for underserved populations. Full practice authority of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners in Florida will enhance our ability to function as team members. Full practice authority can relieve physicians with whom we practice from assuming liability of our actions. In the words of Representative Matt Hudson, "How can 21 other states have this wrong, and we be the only state that is right." Together we can work with physicians and other partners in practice addressing issues concerning safe practices of Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners throughout Florida.  

QUALIFICATION: I have represented professional practice of Florida Nurses at various levels (LPN, RN, ARNP) and through various organizations and positions (FNA Bylaws Chair, two time Delegate to ANA through FNA, Member of FNPN since 2005, Appointed in 2012 and elected in 2013 as FNPN Membership Director, Member of AANP since 2005).

Publication: Ray's Theory of Bureaucratic Caring: A Conceptual Framework for APRN in Home Based Primary Care. International Journal for Human Caring, 19 (3), pp. 41- 44.  

Impact of Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Insurance Plans on Cost and Access to Primary Care for Homebound Recipients (publication pending, 2015) addresses lack of policies to empanel ARNPs credentialed by Florida Medicaid

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Secretary

Gail Fox MS, ARNP-BC
has been a Nurse Practitioner since 1988 and was a pioneer in the field of HIV.  She was the lead clinician at S.U.N.Y at Stony Brook, New York , at one of the first AIDS clinical trials unit set up by the CDC.  Since that time, Gail has worked as a clinician in many positions to include primary care, intensive care, home based primary care and inpatient medical staff.  During her years in practice, Gail has been involved in the Nurse Practitioner movement.  She served as President of the New York State Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, President of the Nurse Practitioner Council of Palm Beach County, and continues to serve on multiple committees for the local and Florida Nurse Practitioner Network.  She lectures in the community, state and at national meetings and volunteers for multiple causes to include breast cancer awareness and Special Olympics.

Gail is again working with the HIV population and is a primary care provider for patients with HIV. In addition, she is the lead clinician at the V.A. Medical Center in West Palm Beach treating patients with HIV.

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Membership Director

Edward Briggs DNP, FNP
Ed Briggs is a Family Nurse Practitioner dedicated to advancing the role of nursing in Florida.  He presently serves as the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee for the American Nurses Association and has previously served as President of the Florida Nurses Association.  He is a staunch advocate for nursing and has received the Advocate of the Year Award from the American Nurses Association and a Nurse Gem award for leadership from Nurse.com.  He has served Florida Nurses in many roles including a board member of the Florida Nurses Association and the Florida Nursing Foundation.  He has chaired the safe staffing Task Force for FNA, the Transition to Practice Committee for QUIN council and is currently working with QUIN council to develop strategy to education students about nursing education programs in Florida.

He believes that bringing nurses together to advocate for their patients and their profession will advance nursing and improve healthcare outcomes for all Florida Citizens.

Roberta (Bobbi) Logsdon DNP, FNP-BC
I lived in Buffalo, NY most of my life.  I worked as a registered nurse for 18  years in the critical care area both as a clinical provider and a nurse manger.   I moved to Jacksonville, FL to work at Mayo Clinic in 2005.

I graduated with my BSN in 1988 from State University of Brockport and then received a Master's in Nursing Administration in 1993 from State University of Buffalo. After many years as a registered nurse, I went back to school for my Nurse Practitioner degree in Family Practice at the University of North Florida and graduated in 2007.  I recently, completed my Doctorate in Nursing Practice in 2014.   I have practiced in many areas of medicine: family practice, neurosurgery and pulmonary.  I currently teach Nursing at Jacksonville University and practice at a local Urgent care center.

I would like to run for membership director and become part of a well-structured statewide organization that can disseminate information to APN's and help improve our practice.  I would love to be part of an organization that continues to help advance our profession and coordinate with others that hold the same values.

I found your organization to be very professional and informative towards APN practice and legislative issues.  Please consider me for the membership director role as I feel I can help foster enrollment and help maintain members in your organization.

Cindy Parsons, DNP, ARNP, BC
Cindy obtained her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Rush University, IL (2006) and her Master's of Nursing from Pace University in NY (1988).

She is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Tampa and maintains a part-time private practice. She is board certified as Family Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinical Specialist. Her areas of specialization are full spectrum psychiatric mental health care with a focus on family systems, community health and quality improvement. She is an active member of local, state and national nurse practitioner and nursing organizations. She is the current secretary for the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network, having worked with the organization since it's early inception.

In her professional nursing career she has worked in a variety of roles in psychiatric nursing; direct care provider, clinical nurse specialist, nursing management and NP. She has presented as a speaker at numerous state and national conferences. She has published in nursing journals and texts at both the generalist and advanced practice level. A recent contribution was the AANP Resource Guide for NPs on Assessing and treating ADHD across the lifespan.

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Nominations Committee

Jeanne Anne Abdou, DNP, MSN, ARNP, ANP-BC
Ms. Abdou received her Doctorate of Nursing Practice from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida in 2013. She pursued her BSN and graduated in 1989 from University of South Florida in Fort Myers and her MSN (cum laude) from Florida International University. Ms.Abdou is board certified as an Adult Nurse Practitioner by ANCC. She currently practices at Physicians Primary Care in Cape Coral, Florida.

Ms.Abdou is the founder and president of the Southern Gulf Coast Nurse Practitioner Council. She is also an active member of American Association of Nurse Practitioners, Florida Nurse Practitioner Network and was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau. Ms. Abdou also serves as a Clinical Preceptor for USF, FGCU and George Washington University

Jennifer Cittadino PhD, MSN, ARNP-BC
Dr Cittadino is a board certified Adult Health Nurse Practitioner. She currently serves on the regional Board of Directors of the Southern Gulf Coast Nurse Practitioner Council as the Vice President of Education. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Dermatology in Nursing and a peer reviewer. She is a member of the Clinical Education Consortium established in Ft Myers. Dr Cittadino obtained her PhD from Nova Southeastern University in Conflict Analysis and Resolution with a concentration in organizations and healthcare. Her dissertation work is on the rising threshold of tolerance in healthcare violence.

Dr Cittadino practices with Lee Physicians Group House Calls Program visiting home limited patients in Lee County. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University in the nursing program and a preceptor for the Family Medicine Residency program of Florida State University through Lee Memorial Health Systems.

Dr. C. Victoria Framil
My name is Dr. C. Victoria Framil, otherwise known as Vicky.  I obtained by BSN and MSN from the University of Florida in 2006 and 2008 respectively. While at UF, I worked in SHANDS hospital from 2004 until 2008, transitioning from the role of nursing assistant to registered nurse.  After graduating, I moved back to my hometown of Miami and just recently had my 7 year employment anniversary as a Nurse Practitioner at Florida International University in their Student Health Services clinic located at the Modesto Maidique Campus.  At Student Health Services, I have served on the Staff Development Committee and FIU Health Campaign Collaboration.  In January of 2012, I entered the Doctorate in Nursing Practice program at the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Science at FIU and was lucky enough to be a part of the first graduating DNP class in December of 2013. During this time, I also took on the role of adjunct faculty within FIU's College of Nursing, teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. In January of 2014, I became a full time faculty member in the graduate nursing program at FIU where I am currently the co-chair for Interdisciplinary Education and Practice Committee.  Just recently I was accepted into the Florida Nurses Association Nurse Leadership Academy. I have had the privilege of meeting wonderful nurse leaders and look forward to learning from them as well as contributing to our profession.

Dr. Annmarie Waite
I started my career as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Pediatrics and subsequently went on to become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). I completed my Women's Health internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida.  I received my doctorate (Ph.D) degree from Barry University and my undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Miami.

As a nurse practitioner, I have been blessed with the opportunity to exercise stewardship in many ways. In my role as nursing faculty, this perspective is a recurring theme when it comes to my teaching philosophy as well.  While I certainly believe that I have a lot to offer students, I believe that they also help me grow professionally as well. According to Winston Churchill, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give." I believe that the best contribution that I can make to the profession of nursing is to share what I have learned through the years with those who will come after me.  There are professional and personal reasons to serve on the FNPN's board: 1) to fine-tune my professional development skills, networking and leadership experience. 2) the desire to give back to my profession by sharing my skill set and talent.  It is something I feel passionate about and working on boards gives unique access to nursing leaders nationally and it provides the opportunity to demonstrate professional value through meaningful participation.