Shifting the Future:
Policy and Research Updates on Suicide in the Nursing Profession
This policy dialogue will discuss the growing nurse suicide crisis and the lack of adequate research, evidence, and policies to support the continued aim for healthier work environments and increased wellbeing among the nursing workforce. The Building Health Care System Excellence Expert Panel will partner with the Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use as well as the Acute and Critical Care Expert Panels on this dialogue. Purpose Statement: The rate of nurse suicide is alarming, considerably higher for female nurses than the general population. While there have been efforts to reduce suicide risk at the national level, it remains unclear if these strategies have been adopted. New local, state, and federal policies are needed. This policy dialogue will review and share the current landscape of nurse suicide, organizational and policy strategies, and research to illuminate and mitigate the alarming rates of nurse suicide. The Building Health Care System Excellence Expert Panel is partnering with the Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use and Acute and Critical Care Expert Panels on this dialogue to foster impactful policy for nurse suicide prevention. Learning Outcomes: As a result of attending this Policy Dialogue, attendees will be able to: - Discuss current nurse suicide data and research, including professional, organizational and societal influences.
- Describe current risk identification and strategic initiatives for nurse suicide prevention.
- Discuss emerging data and research to inform nurse suicide mitigation.
- Identify at least one actionable step to promote policy change to mitigate nurse suicide.
Featured Speakers  | Amanda Choflet, DNP, RN, NEA-BC Dr. Amanda Choflet currently serves as the Dean of Nursing at Northeastern University. Her research involves substance use and the emotional wellbeing of nurses, nursing students, and other vulnerable populations, and her team has explored maladaptive coping mechanisms and the ways in which modern healthcare structures influence the help-seeking behaviors of nurses and other health professionals. Her previous work included system-wide practice integration, standardization of practice, and documentation, and the science of symptom management. She received grant funding for her evidence-based practice work in substance use from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Choflet received a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Johns Hopkins University and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master’s of Science in Nursing degrees from the University of Maryland, and her Associate’s Degree from Community College of Denver. |  | Christopher Wojnar, MSN, APNP, PMHNP-BC Christopher Wojnar, MSN, APNP, PMHNP-BC, is the Founder and CEO of Christopher M Wojnar, LLC., and Vice President of United Suicide Survivors International. A psychiatric nurse practitioner and suicide prevention strategist, he integrates lived experience into practice, systems design, and policy development to reduce suicide risk and improve access to compassionate care. His portfolio includes Zero Suicide-informed implementation, structured postvention, psychological safety, and confidential pathways for clinicians. Christopher is also an ambassador for the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation and serves on multiple boards advancing nurse well-being and health worker mental health. His work centers on multi-level culture change, data-driven strategy, and pragmatic tools that make help-seeking safe, equitable, and routine across healthcare settings.
|  | Allison Norful, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN Dr. Allison Norful is a PhD-prepared nurse practitioner, health services researcher, and internationally recognized expert in workforce and mental health research. She holds joint appointments as an Assistant Professor at Columbia University School of Nursing and as a Nurse Scientist in the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital enterprise. Dr. Norful’s program of research centers on the impact of work environment factors on physiological and epigenetic stress that precipitates adverse psychological outcomes among nurses, with a particular focus on suicide risk. She integrates biomarker analysis, including physiologic measures and epigenetic investigation, to uncover the biological mechanisms by which occupational stress translates into suicidality among nurses. In addition to this work, she has developed several validated survey instruments, including the Provider Co-Management Index, now in use across six countries in both research and clinical settings. Her expertise spans measurement science, psychometric testing, and care delivery model analysis, and her research has expanded to national policy advocacy for nurse practitioner full practice authority as well as international studies of registered nurses in primary care. For her research and clinical leadership, she has received numerous national and international accolades, including fellowship in both the New York Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Nursing, as well as the 2024 Academy Edge Runner Award for her work advancing academic–clinical practice partnerships. |
Participant Resources
Whether you're facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns, or just need someone to talk to, caring counselors are here for you. You are not alone. Dial 988 - Suicide & Crisis Lifeline View Participant Resources Nursing Continuing Professional Development The American Academy of Nursing (Academy) hosts policy dialogues to discuss leading topics related to the organization's policy priorities. The American Academy of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
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