AANP Immediate Past President
April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN
Dr. April Kapu is the immediate past president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP). She has 30 years of experience in health care and 18 years as an acute care nurse practitioner (NP). Kapu has committed her career to advancing NP-delivered care and increasing access — across all settings — to the care NPs provide. Currently, she is the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Associate Dean for Clinical and Community Partnerships, with oversight of several nurse-led community practices. Kapu is a professor of nursing and teaches in Vanderbilt’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Prior to her role as dean, she served as associate chief nursing officer for advanced practice nursing, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. There, she led as a health system nursing executive, establishing innovative, high-quality and value-driven advanced practice health care services. Kapu is frequently consulted for her expertise in advanced practice leadership and the development of advanced practice infrastructure within health systems. She has presented in many national and international forums, authored chapters in advanced practice nursing textbooks and published manuscripts in numerous peer-reviewed nursing and medical journals. She holds several professional roles and is a Fellow of the Society of Critical Care Medicine, AANP and the American Academy of Nursing. Prior to serving as president of AANP, Kapu was the AANP Region 4 Director and Tennessee State Representative. She is an active member of the Tennessee Nurses Association, served as past chair for the Tennessee Government Affairs Committee and Tennessee APRN Committee, and represented Tennessee NPs on the Tennessee governor’s special commission focused on pain and addiction treatment education. Kapu has received several awards, including Modern Healthcare’s “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives of 2022,” Vanderbilt’s “Transformational Nurse Leader of the Year” and Tennessee Hospital Association’s “Nurse of Clinical Distinction.” Kapu holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.