Introducing the New Executive Director of the Association for Nursing Professional Development.

Nearly a year after Chappell Roan used her Grammy acceptance speech to call for better workplace benefits for artists, a new mental health resource inspired by that moment has launched. Backline Care, the nonprofit she partnered with last year to create an industry mental health fund, has debuted B LINE — a 24/7 mental health and crisis support hotline for music professionals and their families, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Recently launched with lead sponsorship from Spotify, B LINE offers confidential, real‐time support via phone (1 855 BLINE99) or text (254 639). Counselors are trained to assist those working across the music ecosystem — from performers to crew members — who often face high stress, financial instability and lack of access to care. Backline founder and Executive Director Hilary Gleason said the hotline fills a critical gap: “One piece was missing: real‐time access to care. B LINE changes that.” The initiative comes amid growing concern about mental health in the music industry. MusiCares' 2025 survey found that 15.4% of respondents knew a colleague who died by suicide in the past year. Additional support for B LINE comes from Noah Kahan, Live Nation, AEG Presents, Adyen, and others.

Embedded pragmatic clinical trials are an ideal way to develop and evaluate evidence-based interventions in the nursing home (NH) environment to facilitate streamlining implementation after study completion. However, there is minimal information available about the necessary and sufficient conditions of "difference makers" for robust implementation of pragmatic interventions in the NH setting. The "Aligning Patient Preferences-a Role Offering Alzheimer's patients, Caregivers, and Healthcare Providers Education and Support" (APPROACHES) embedded pragmatic trial is designed to test and evaluate a staff-led advance care planning (ACP) intervention for residents with dementia in 128 NHs (64 intervention, 64 control). Coincidence Analysis, a case-based approach to data analysis that draws upon Boolean algebra and set theory, was applied to identify key difference-makers for robust implementation. This analysis focused on the 44 intervention NHs that implemented at least one of two implementation processes: site visits and/or monthly calls. Eighteen of 44 (41%) sites in the analysis robustly implemented the APPROACHES intervention as reflected by > 75% of residents having a documented ACP conversation. The Coincidence Analysis revealed two pathways directly linked with robust pragmatic implementation: (1) no executive director turnover during the observation period combined with site participation in monthly calls with peers; and (2) higher rates of baseline hospitalization (3.96-7.0 per 1000 resident-days alive) combined with a low number of certified beds. In contrast, leadership instability as reflected by administrator turnover, high number of certified beds, and a lack of participation in monthly calls with peers was associated with poorer performance. Findings from this study suggest that leadership stability and engagement with peers were essential drivers of robust implementation of the APPROACHES ACP Specialist intervention. Coincidence Analysis is a useful tool for understanding how implementation conditions are associated with robust implementation in embedded pragmatic clinical trials.

Cultural sustainability and cultural leadership: Heidi Wiley (Executive Director, European Theatre Convention: In Conversation)

This article is a requested personal commentary for this project based on my 20+ years of experience working nationally and globally in the advocacy of safe research and the promotion of biosafety and biosecurity. Although neither a scientist nor a professional practitioner of biosafety or biosecurity, I have probably participated in more training programs and more national and international forums on the topic than the vast majority of those who manage or regulate laboratory safety. The commentary relies on my personal history that includes assisting others to develop national and regional biosafety associations globally as well as the International Federation of Biosafety Associations. I have been an invited participant and speaker in meetings with organizations and agencies such as the U.S. National Academies of Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science, U.S. National Institutes of Health, World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, World Bank, INTERPOL, CBRNE, Prince Mahidol Award Conference, World Organisation for Animal Health, CORDS, World Science Forum, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture-ARS, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperative. I have served as an elected member of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) International Council and served as the first chair of the Global Health Security Agenda Consortium. I am a recipient of the John H. Richardson Award from ABSA International, an honorary member of the Association of Primate Veterinarians and am a member of the International Veterinary Biosafety Working Group. Unlike other contributors to this body of work, I am neither a biosafety/biosecurity professional nor a microbiologist. In fact, I am not even a scientist. What I am-and how I am best known nationally and globally-is a faithful advocate of responsible, safe, and secure research. From the beginning of my 20-year career as the executive director of the Elizabeth R. Griffin Foundation until my retirement from full-time work in 2019, I traveled the United States and every continent except Australia promoting safe science to those within the research world and as an advocate for the importance of that world to those not within it.

Looking to the Future of TMS: An Interview with Incoming Executive Director Trudi Dunlap

Alex de Waal is the Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and Professor at the Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He is one of the leading experts on Sudan and the Horn of Africa, having served on the mediation team for Darfur from 2005 to 2006 and on the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel for Sudan from 2009 to 2011. Professor de Waal has also worked for several human rights organizations and the Social Science Research Council. His 2017 book, “Starvation: The History and Future of Famine,” explores the weaponization of starvation as a war tactic through a close examination of the history of modern famines. He was included in Foreign Policy’s list of the 100 most influential public intellectuals in 2008 and named one of Atlantic Monthly’s 27 “brave thinkers” in 2009. Additionally, he received the Royal Anthropological Institute’s Huxley Medal in 2024.

This essay combines an interview with the author and analytical reflections he cowrote with his advisor while seeking refuge from Israeli bombardment in the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. Sheltering for two years in the church compound, the author, who is completing a doctoral project on the topic, reflected on the special and historic relationship between the Vatican and the Palestinian struggle on the one hand, and the Vatican and Israel on the other. In order to situate the essay within the author’s daily lived experience since the genocide, the executive director of the Arab Center Washington DC conducted a telephone interview with the author on September 10, 2025, one month before the ceasefire agreement. In the interview, the author explains the conditions he and others in Gaza have been experiencing during the war and the reasons he decided to investigate the role of the Vatican in the Palestinian struggle.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the events of large changes (revolutions) in management boards and CEO turnover of banks in Central Europe. It explores the association between revolutions in supervisory and management boards of banks operating in two-tier board systems while accounting for the role of shareholder changes and performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sample of 185 listed and unlisted banks from 11 Central European countries over 15 years. The unique hand-input data for board members and shareholders allows us to study the dynamics of executive turnover in banks, using an OLS regression with various model specifications. Findings The results show that management board revolutions are more likely in banks that experience revolutions in supervisory boards. Changes in supervisory and management boards occur concurrently, suggesting that concerns regarding board entrenchment may incite shareholders to simultaneously replace executives and non-executives. In addition, a change of the primary shareholder strengthens the positive association between revolutions in the two boards. Finally, the probability of CEO turnover is higher in banks experiencing a change of the supervisory board chair, highlighting the special relation between the two positions. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on executive turnover and the role of changes in supervisory boards in banks, which has been limited to date. Moreover, existing work has primarily explored developed countries and focused on CEO turnover in listed banks with one-tier boards. This paper examines both CEO and executive director turnover in two-tier board systems of listed and unlisted banks operating in emerging countries over a long time period.

This study examined the drivers of land use conflicts between farmers and pastoralists in Mvomero District, Tanzania. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research involved surveying 391 heads of households and conducting in-depth interviews with 26 key informants, including four Village Chairpersons, four Village Executive Officers (VEOs), four Heads of Village Security Committees, four Village Agricultural and Livestock Officers (VALOs), four Ward Executive Officers (WEOs), the District Executive Director (DED), and the Officer Commanding District (OCD). The primary objective is to identify and analyse the underlying factors contributing to these conflicts and to propose potential solutions. The findings indicated that the primary drivers of land use conflicts include environmental factors sparked by climate change, exacerbating resource scarcity as a key factor. Other factors involve unethical practices and a lack of participation in demarcating boundaries. The study suggests several strategies to mitigate land use conflicts in Mvomero District including raising awareness about climate change and its implications for resource management, strengthening of land tenure systems through establishment of robust and enforceable land tenure systems, promoting climate-resilient agricultural practice where the government of Tanzania and other developmental stakeholders should enhance agricultural resilience to climate change as crucial mechanism for reducing resource-based conflicts, enhancing water resource management can be proper means of addressing the land use conflict problem where improvement of water resource management can mitigate resource scarcity and reduce conflicts, strengthening conflict resolution mechanisms also can be adopted as the means of land use conflict resolution through building the capacity of local institutions to manage conflicts, facilitating multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing climate change and land-use conflicts among various stakeholders can be another way of land use conflict resolution, and effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are essential for assessing the impact of adaptation initiatives. Additionally, improving access to education and economic opportunities for both farmers and pastoralists can reduce dependency on land-based livelihoods and ease competition for resources.

Regulatory mandates by various governments on women representation on company boards play an important role in fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5 on gender equality) adopted by the members of the United Nations. In this article, we explore the heterogeneity in firm responses to such a regulatory mandate introduced by the Indian government in 2014. We propose that, driven by the need to build legitimacy among stakeholders, family firms are more likely to comply with the mandate when compared to non-family firms. However, driven by considerations to leverage women family members and minimise board independence, family firms are more likely to appoint a woman executive director. Within a sample of family firms, this behaviour is more likely among standalone firms when compared to family business group firms. We find supportive evidence in a sample of 1,507 publicly listed Indian firms over a five-year period, comprising pre- and post-regulation years.

Abstract The growing challenge of plastic pollution, especially in the marine environment, demands comprehensive international action. In response, the United Nations Environment Assembly ( unea ) Resolution 5/14 has tasked the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme ( unep ) with establishing an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee ( inc ) to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. This article investigates the instruments and initiatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( asean ) and individual Southeast Asian countries in combating plastic debris. Specifically, it examines their submissions during inc sessions and identifies opportunities to enhance the efficacy of asean instruments, strengthen domestic policies, and improve regional collaboration. This article aims to answer the question: How can asean and its Member States effectively influence international efforts on combating marine plastic pollution? It proposes actionable strategies to bolster regional positions and play a proactive role in the inc process, thereby enhancing the management of plastic pollution.

Abstract Moore co‐founded the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, and Hull is its executive director. They note that they have reviewed “hundreds of scientific articles on leadership, prioritizing large studies and synthesis articles published recently in the most respected journals by at least seven hundred researchers from 22 countries. We’ve organized, synthesized, and translated this scientific literature into nine leadership capacities.” They discuss the following capacities: in their words: Conscious leadership (See clearly, including myself). Authentic leadership (Care). Agile leadership (Flex). Relational leadership (Help). Positive leadership (Strengthen). Compassionate leadership (Resonate). Shared leadership (Share). Servant leadership (Serve). Transformational leadership (Transform, including myself). They write that it is “all the more important for you to consider yourself an action researcher using scientific methods: conducting an objective self‐assessment (with others’ input), forming a hypothesis about what might be impactful, testing the hypothesis (experimenting), then observing, learning, and adjusting your approach based on the results.” And they believe that “our world needs leaders who inspire and empower everyone to do great work. The quality of leadership matters, and the science shows us what qualities to improve. We can use science to separate the signals of good leadership from the noise.”

Philippine medical and health-related journals have long struggled with visibility, accessibility and global recognition. As President of the Philippine Association of Medical Journal Editors (PAMJE), I wanted to find a way to address this problem. While browsing the web, I came across the African Journals Online (AJOL) platform, which has expanded global access to research published in African journals for 25 years. Their mission — to make African scholarship visible to the world — resonated deeply with me. I began to imagine what a similar platform could mean for the Philippines. I shared this idea in one of our PAMJE meetings. Our officers, especially our Founding President Dr. Joey Lapeña, were fully supportive. Encouraged, I drafted a funding proposal and submitted it to the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD). The Research Information, Communication, and Utilization Division, headed by Ms. Ullyann Garcia, with Information and Products Services Head Ms. Violeta Intia, endorsed the proposal, and Dr. Jaime Montoya, PCHRD Executive Director, subsequently approved it. Aboard was Renzell Ann Parino, our Project Officer, to monitor our progress. We began work in August 2023, and from there, a dedicated team was assembled to bring the vision to life. (Figure 1)

When I came into my role as executive director here at SEG nearly 5 years ago, there were many challenges associated with the role for sure — too many to count. We were in the middle of COVID, and the overall energy business was languishing. Along with that were operational issues we faced sustaining our Society in a rapidly changing world. It became abundantly clear to me that this job would require a lot of attention and effort.

From the Executive Director

Executive Director of the Association for Nursing Professional Development Retires: Reflecting on Impact and Looking to the Future.

This Q&A features Liz Ricketts, co-founder and executive director of The Or Foundation, with fourteen years confronting fashion’s waste crisis and advocating policy change. Working with Accra’s Kantamanto Market, the world’s largest second-hand clothing hub, The Or Foundation faces weekly surges of garments from the Global North, around 40 per cent becomes waste, forming beach mounds 1.5 m high. Ricketts situates this crisis within colonial dress codes and structural adjustment, which entrenched dependence on second-hand imports, and challenges circular-economy narratives that mask waste colonialism. She outlines solutions: the Mabilgu programme, material transformation laboratories and Stop Waste Colonialism’s call for Globally Accountable Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies.

Abstract News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: the Affiliate Societies announce new officers and board members; first presidential column from Elizabeth Hoffman, update from Executive Director Veronica Becker; Photo gallery highlights from IMAT 2025; DomesDay 2025 winners announced; Laura Moyer named George A. Roberts Award recipient; LA Chapter celebrates centennial; In memoriam for Jack Crane.

As artificial intelligence evolves from a supportive tool to an autonomous agent, the foundations of medical education face a seismic shift. In this THMT Podcast episode, we explore how agentic AI systems - capable of independent decision making, reasoning, and adaptive learning, is transforming how future physicians are trained, assessed, and accredited. What happens when core disciplines like pathology, radiology, and diagnostics become largely automated? How do we redefine the educator’s role, ensure equity in access, and prepare clinicians for a future where human judgment and machine intelligence must seamlessly coexist? Join distinguished guests as they unpack the challenges and opportunities shaping the next generation of medical education. Topics discussed by experts include: Defining the DisruptionWhen we say “agentic AI,” what exactly do we mean in the context of medical education—and how is it different from prior waves of AI or digital learning tools? From Augmentation to AutonomyMedical curricula have traditionally leaned on faculty expertise and structured pathways. How might agentic AI shift the balance between educator-led and learner-driven knowledge acquisition? Skills for the Next GenerationIf AI can personalize education at scale, what core skills should we prioritize in training future clinicians—knowledge mastery, critical thinking, adaptability, or something new entirely? Equity and AccessAgentic AI has the potential to democratize learning—or deepen divides. How do we ensure rural learners, resource-limited institutions, and global partners benefit rather than being left behind? Assessment and AccreditationHow do accrediting bodies and licensing boards adapt when AI can tailor assessments, simulate clinical encounters, and even suggest competency progression? What risks do you see if regulation lags behind innovation? Ethics and the Educator’s RoleIf learners increasingly interact with agentic AI tutors or copilots, what remains uniquely human—and irreplaceable—about the educator’s role in medicine? Speakers Fredric B. Meyer, M.D. is enterprise chair of the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic and is recognized with the distinction of a named professorship, the Alfred Uihlein Family Professorship in Neurologic Surgery. He is currently the Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean of Education of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and Dean of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. Dr. Meyer earned obtained his M.D. degree at Boston University and then trained in general surgery, neurosurgery and cerebrovascular research at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He served as Chair of the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic from 2004 to 2015. Dr. Meyer has held many leadership positions in professional organizations, including President of the American Academy of Neurological Surgery and Board of Directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. He has been Director, Secretary, Chair and Executive Director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Peter McCaffrey is currently Chief AI Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and VP at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He also currently serves as Chair of the University of Texas System's REAL-Health-AI initiative that exists to scale AI across all UT System Health Related Institutions. Peter is a Pathologist by training, and his work focuses on designing and deploying AI systems across health system domains from clinical to operational and beyond. Sarah B. Harper, MA, MBA , brings 15+ years of experience driving digital transformation across the healthcare ecosystem and beyond. With deep expertise in engaging with learners of all ages and levels, she blends clinical insight, systems thinking, and user-centered design to turn bold ideas into practical, equitable solutions. A hilarious human dedicated to helping others, Sarah makes digital care smarter—and more human. At Mayo Clinic Health System, Sarah leads AI, Analytics, and Automation initiatives and holds the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Healthcare Administration. She’s the co-host of Tech It to the Limit⁠, a podcast blending wit and wisdom to explore digital health’s messiest challenges. Sarah also serves as an Advisor to Mayo Clinic Platform⁠, supporting solution developers and health systems in tech implementation and evaluation. Sarah is a THMT editor.