Roberta Kaplow, RN, PhD, CCRN, CCNS - DeKalb Medical Center

Dr. Roberta Kaplow received her BSN from Long Island University and her MA and PhD from New York University. She is a past-director on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and AACN Certification Corporation. She has served on several committees and task forces for that organization including the Adult CCRN Item Writers and Exam Development Committees, Practice Analysis Task Force, Nominating Committee, and Strategic Thinking as well as local chapter committees.

Dr. Roberta Kaplow has been a critical care nurse for 29 years. She has worked in a variety of settings and in a variety of roles including staff nurse, nurse educator, nurse clinician, and clinical nurse specialist. She is nationally known as a speaker on a variety of critical care nursing topics, Synergy Model, and other issues related to the care of acute and critically ill patients. She was also the first nurse awarded as a Distinguished Cancer Scholar by the Georgia Cancer Coalition.

She is the co-editor and co-author in the books titled Synergy for Clinical Excellence: The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care and Critical Care Nursing: Synergy for Optimal Outcomes. She is on the editorial board and serves as a reviewer of manuscripts for Applied Nursing Research.

Dr. Roberta Kaplow was the recipient of the 2008 Nursing Spectrum southeast region award for Advancing and Leading the Profession. In addition to her current role as a clinical nurse specialist, she is also an instructor for two graduate nursing research courses for Excelsior College in Albany, NY

Sonya R. Hardin, RN, PhD, CCRN - University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina

Dr. Sonya R. Hardin received her PhD from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, MSN & BSN from the University of NC at Charlotte, MSN/MHA from Pfeiffer University and completed a Post Doc at the University of NC at Chapel Hill in 2006.

She is known nationally for her work with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses and has served on numerous task forces for AACN including those focused on the development of the AACN Synergy Model, the AACN Study of Practice and most recently the task force to revise the Standard of Practice for Critical Care Nursing.

Dr. Hardin has held positions as staff nurse, Director of Critical Care and Dialysis Services, Director of Nursing Systems, and house supervisor. She has recently completed her Adult Practitioner certificate from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.

She is the co-editor and co-author in the books titled Synergy for Clinical Excellence: The AACN Synergy Model for Patient Care and Critical Care Nursing: Synergy for Optimal Outcomes. She is a reviewer of manuscripts for The Journal of Gerontological Nursing and Research in Geriatric Nursing. Over the last five years, she has co-edited the journal Visions: The Journal of Rogerian Nursing