| WASHINGTON, DC — A leading expert in global health and immigrant and women’s health, Afaf I. Meleis, PhD, FAAN, LL, FRCN, dean emerita and professor of nursing and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and professor emerita at the University of California, San Francisco, will deliver the Keynote Address for the National League for Nursing Education Summit 2020, currently scheduled for September 23-25 in Orlando, Florida. Throughout her career, Dr. Meleis has exhibited a profound passion for pushing the boundaries of nursing science, cultivating the next generation of health care leaders, and improving women’s health. As the vibrant and forward-thinking dean of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing from 2002 through 2014, she was nicknamed the “Energizer Dean” in a 2009 Pennsylvania Gazette profile that conveyed her can-do attitude and approach to her life’s work. “The NLN Education Summit promises inspiration, collaboration and innovation. We will explore trends and emerging topics impacting nursing education as well as solutions to address everyday challenges that we all must learn to navigate, especially in the wake of COVID-19,” said NLN President Patricia S. Yoder-Wise, RN, EdD, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAONL, FAAN, Professor and Dean Emerita at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and president of The Wise Group. NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, said, “We are grateful to Dr. Afaf I. Meleis for agreeing to be our Summit keynote speaker this year. Her five decades-plus in nursing education, research, and advocacy for women’s health and vulnerable patients on the margins of access to quality health care have made her a leading voice among health care professionals worldwide.” A leading expert in global health and immigrant and women’s health, Dr. Meleis has closely studied women who are burdened by societal inequities, multiplicity of roles, differential compensation and rewards, and the gender divide. Her findings led her to redefine women’s work and to develop Transitions Theory, which is translated globally in education, policy, research, and evidence-based practice. It was also the foundation of her acclaimed texts, Transitions Theory: Middle Range and Situation Specific Theories in Research and Practice and six editions of her groundbreaking volume Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress. Dr. Meleis graduated magna cum laude from the University of Alexandria in 1961, and continued her graduate professional education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned an M.S. in nursing in 1964, an M.A. in sociology in 1966, and a Ph.D. in medical and social psychology in 1968. Abstracts will be available online for participants to select the concurrent and poster sessions to attend most appropriate for their individual needs and interests. In addition, a wealth of information will available on the popular Summit app. There will be plenty for everyone, from veteran to novice educators. The NLN is closely monitoring Coronavirus (COVID-19) developments and will provide updates regarding any notable changes in the conference schedule or travel issues. For updated information from the NLN about issues related to the Coronavirus, please visit our Coronavirus Resource Center. Additional information about the 2020 NLN Education Summit, including online registration, can be found at Summit.NLN.org. | 
