NONPF Module Two - Curriculum Design

Dr. Pamela Biernacki is an associate professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, where she also serves as the program director for the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program. She has been a certified family nurse practitioner since 2000 and is active in clinical practice. Dr. Biernacki has been educating nurses and nurse practitioners for over three decades, and she has served in several academic leadership roles.   Dr. Biernacki received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland and her Master of Science in Nursing (FNP concentration) from Old Dominion University. She received her Doctor of Nursing Practice with a Post-Master’s Certificate in Nursing Education from Duke University.  Dr. Biernacki’s scholarly interests focus on inter-professional collaborative practice (IPCP) in primary care.  She led a multidisciplinary team in the redesign of workflow in the primary care setting; the purpose was to improve T2DM quality metrics, patient satisfaction, and efficiency by redesigning workflow to use all members of the team to their highest level of education. Further, she is a member of the project team on the $2.6 million HRSA project Primary Care Improved Outcomes with Nurses in Expanded and Evolving Roles (PIONEER), where NPs and RNs are key members of the IPCP team. Dr. Biernacki has been an invited speaker for national conferences regarding the role of RNs in primary care.  In addition, Dr. Biernacki’s scholarly interests related to academics focus on curriculum development for NP education, particularly related to competency-based NP education and Inter-professional Education. She has spoken national on these topics. 

Dr. Robin Arends is the APRN Program Director and Clinical Associate Professor at South Dakota State University. She obtained her BSN at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA. After working as a registered nurse in Critical Care, she earned her Masters and Doctor of Nursing Practice from South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD.  After seeing the increased need for mental health services, she returned to obtain a post-graduate certificate in psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner from South Dakota State University. She is currently, dually certified as a family practice and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. Her practice includes caring for acute and chronic health conditions to residents of Long-Term Care and Assisted Living Facilities. Dr. Arends has over 10 years of experience in curriculum development, delivery, revision, and evaluation for nurse practitioner students at both the master’s and doctoral level. She has undergone training in academic assessment and has published on bridging institutional and accreditation standards. She is the current chair off the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Curricular Leadership Committee and has presented on nurse practitioner curriculum methods and topics at both the national and international level. 

Dr. Mary Beth Bigley is the CEO of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, a national organization specifically devoted to promoting high quality nurse practitioner (NP) education.  In this role, she provides leadership on education, policies and program initiatives that promote NP education and practice.  Prior to her joining NONPF in April of 2017, she served as Director for the Division of Nursing and Public Health in the Bureau of Health Workforce at HRSA. From 2006 to 2014, Dr. Bigley served as the Director of the Division of Science and Communications HHS’s Office of the U.S. Surgeon General.  Additionally, she is active member of the Editorial Committee of the journal Public Health Reports. Dr. Bigley received a doctorate in Health System and Policy at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Systems.  

Dr. Ainslie is an Assistant Professor on the tenure track at the University of New Hampshire, with extensive experience as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program track coordinator. Her research focuses on aligning nurse practitioner (NP) education with the dynamic needs of clinical practice. With over 25 years of clinical experience in endocrinology, family practice, urgent care, and medication-assisted therapy for substance use disorders, Dr. Ainslie integrates her expertise in research, teaching, and clinical practice to advance NP education and practice.

As a Senior Fellow for the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), Dr. Ainslie led efforts to implement competency-based assessment across NP programs nationwide—a mission she continues to champion today. She is a frequent presenter, sharing her scholarship and expertise with state, national, and international organizations.

Dr. Ainslie also serves as Chair of the Aquifer™ Task Force for NP Curriculum, where she ensures the NP perspective is well-represented in educational resources used across health professions. Additionally, she is a member of the AACN subgroup on progression indicators, contributing to the development of behavioral expectations that demonstrate competency attainment across all nursing roles.