American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Lisa Summers and Sofia Aragon, the former mayor of Burien, Washington, will co-present the plenary session, " Taking Advocacy to the Next Level: Engaging Nurses in Politics," on Saturday, January 18, at 9 a.m. The political determinants of health (PDOH) are critical to achieving health equity but have received limited attention in academic nursing. Nurses are increasingly adept at advocacy yet remain sorely underrepresented in elected offices despite having a skill set well suited to run and serve constituents. Lisa and Sofia will explore the power of civic engagement, nursing representation, and PDOH through the lived experience of a nurse who has served in elected office. Educators will leave with new ideas for how to embed political advocacy and public service into their nursing programs and clinical practices.