Examining the Past: The First Step in AANP's Journey of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Joyce Knestrick, Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, is a visiting professor and interim director of the Masters in Nursing Leadership and Management and Executive Leader DNP programs at George Washington University and she is the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ past president. Dr. Knestrick is a family nurse practitioner from Washington, Pennsylvania. She serves as an advocate for nurse practitioners (NPs) and advanced practice nursing. Dr. Knestrick practices in rural Appalachia caring for low-income and underserved populations. She has been a family nurse practitioner for 30 years, a nurse educator for over 35 years and is active in maintaining high-quality education for NPs. In addition, Dr. Knestrick works at local, regional, state, and national levels to promote NP practice in education, policy, and clinical care. Her research is focused on health and access to care for low-income and rural populations, particularly women. Dr. Knestrick is a tireless champion of NPs and works to ensure that patients can choose NPs for high-quality, cost-effective health care.

Honey Mone’t Jones, DNP, ACNP-BC, CCRN, CNRN, is a board-certified acute care nurse practitioner in the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also serves as clinical associate faculty for the MSN program at the Duke University. Her primary role is providing care for critically ill adults and her clinical experience includes neuro-critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, electrophysiology and cardiac catheterization lab. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Duke University and her research focused on adverse events surrounding intra-hospital transport of the critically-ill adult. Honey also holds clinical certifications with the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses and the American Association of Critical-care Nurses and is a member of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Association Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She was recently recognized as a Fellow in AANP and SCCM’s American College of Critical Care Medicine. Her professional contributions led to the development of AANP’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion committee on which she was appointed as the first chair. She currently serves as a champion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the UNC School of Medicine.

Edwin Torres, PhD(c), RN, CHNP, FNP-C, is a board-certified FNP. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Binghamton University, where the focus of his doctoral work is the social determinants of health and its relationship to diabetes. Currently, he practices at Montefiore Medical Center in the Outreach program, comprised of three clinics in Washington Heights, Inwood and the South Bronx. He also practices at a Montefiore federally funded clinic. His practice is primarily for patients diagnosed with diabetes. On a national level, Edwin sits on the DEI Committee and Health Policy Committee for AANP. Locally, he serves on community board 9 of Manhattan’s Health and Environmental Committee. Edwin has been quoted nationally on topics related to diabetes and health disparities. At Binghamton, Edwin mentors countless students interested in nursing and health-related fields. Binghamton University administration recently recognized Edwin as a stellar mentor and awarded him the Edward Weisband Distinguished Alumni Award for Public Service.

Irene W. Bean, DNP, APRN, PMHNP, FAANP, is the Chief Executive Officer and owner of the Serenity Health Care Facility. Dr. Bean is a certified FNP and psychiatric NP. She provides integrated services to medical and psychiatric patients. Dr. Bean has presented at national and local conferences. She holds several professional roles, including as inaugural member of the AANP Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Fellow of AANP, Duke-Johnson & Johnson Fellow and State Representative of AANP. She has been featured on several podcasts, was the creator/moderator for a series of social injustice webinars and was a contributor to op-med articles with Doximity. Dr. Bean was awarded Tennessee’s AANP Advocate State Award for Excellence. Dr. Bean is the Executive Director and Founder of the Tennessee Nurse Practitioner Association. The organization is the only statewide association that represents more than 9,000 advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Dr. Bean holds a master’s degree in nursing from Tennessee State University, a doctoral degree from Loyola University in New Orleans and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification from Johns Hopkins University.