AWHONN Members Inspire, Lead, andForge New Directions in the Care ofWomen and Newborns

From the President,

Welcome to the proceedings of the AWHONN

2011 Convention, held in Denver in June.

Nurses from throughout the United States and Can-

ada and a good handful ofother countries gathered

with the goal of inspiring, leading and forging new

directions in the care of women and newborns.

Through sessions, symposia, workshops, and

continuing nursing education, attendees were

guaranteed to stumble across more than one ‘‘a ha!

moment,’’ that moment of surprise or unexpected

delight one gets from sudden knowledge. At the

convention, these moments were related to design-

ing evidence-based solutions for diverse practice

settings; creating a personal and professional lead-

ership path; and disseminating knowledge to

create and sustain quality outcomes.

Whether you’re reading this supplement online

or you received a printed copy at the convention,

you are viewing a summary of the knowledge

shared in the papers and posters presented at the

annual AWHONN meeting. Attendees had the op-

portunity to think and enhance their expertise to

improve patient care; learn innovative solutions

they could use immediately; create new strategies

for tackling tough problems; and connect with

peers and experts. As you read through the ab-

stracts that represent the paper and poster

proceedings of the meetings, it’s our goal at

AWHONN that you too will come across more than

one ‘‘a ha! moment’’ and carry that newfound

knowledge into the academic arena, clinical set-

ting, and direct patient care.

Chances are you’re reading the proceedings on the

JOGNN website at jognn.awhonn.org. These in-

dexed and searchable abstracts contribute to the

ongoing discourse in scienti¢c and academic com-

munities. Furthermore, these abstracts promote the

goals of AWHONN as a standard-bearing organi-

zation in transforming patient care, improving out-

comes for women and babies, translating research

into real-world application, and supporting optimal

nursing care and practices.

The publication of the papers and posters presented

herein inspire, lead and forge new directions in the

care of women and newborns. As the 2011AWHONN

President, I wish for you many ‘‘a ha! moments’’ as

you read the proceedings and continue to gain

valuable knowledge from AWHONN’s leading schol-

arly journals, the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic

and Neonatal Nursing and Nursing for Women’s

Health. Take the time to share your thoughts with

our editors at JOGNN@awhonn.org. They would

love to hear from you.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t remind you that it’s

not too early to begin planning for the 2012

AWHONN Convention, which is scheduled for June

24-27, 2012 at National Harbor, Maryland in the

Washington, DC area.

As your AWHONN president, I am committed to

serving you, my fellow AWHONN member. I encour-

age you to contact me at any time should the need

arise. And please introduce yourself when we gath-

er for our annual meetings ^ it will be my pleasure to

meet you!

Kathleen A. Hale,

MS, RNC, NE-BC

President

I N T R O D U C T I O N

JOGNNhttp://jognn.awhonn.org & 2011 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses S1