DJ Shannon, MPH, CIC, VA-BC, AL-CIP, FAPIC, has been involved in infection prevention and infectious diseases for over a decade, with experience spanning research, state public health, academics, and acute care hospitals. With a background in human biology and epidemiology, his focus is on the intersection of antimicrobial resistance, device-associated infections, and infection prevention. Mr Shannon is the 2025 Immediate Past President of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Indiana. He was a clinical reviewer for the 2021 INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice and a co-author of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA) Standards of Care for Peripheral Intravenous Catheters. Most recently, he served as the lead author for the APIC Implementation Guide for Preventing Catheter-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CABSIs) in Adults.

Nate Gilmore, MD, MBA, has been Chief of Service for Critical Care at Hoag Hospital, with Newport Critical Care in Newport Beach, California since 2019. He coordinates and manages continuous improvement of intensive care services for Hoag and develops treatment algorithms, cost and acuity assessments, and outcomes analyses. He is Assistant in Quality Improvement for Hoag Hospital.

Dr Gilmore is American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)-certified in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care. He received his Doctor of Medicine in 2007; he completed his post-graduate residency in emergency medicine at University of Pittsburgh, and then a multidisciplinary Critical Care Fellowship in 2013 at the University of Florida.

Dr Gilmore earned his Executive MBA at the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University in June 2017. He has served as Medical Director for the Hoag Academy Improvement Course since April 2018 and as Medical Director and Professor of American Career College Respiratory Therapy since 2015.

Dr Gilmore has been actively involved in research, including  recent publication on dialysis efficiency and catheter selection. He has also researched respiratory monitoring and ventilator weaning protocols; refractory hypoxemia treatment management; and computerized sepsis algorithm. 

Dr Gilmore is a member of the Hospital Quality Board, Clinical Excellence Committee, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Reporting Committee, Infection Prevention Committee, Blood Bank Utilization Committee, and COVID-19 Response Leadership Council. He is responsible for the creation and introduction of Hoag Academy Training in Quality Improvement and also developing and refining curriculum, delivery, and coordinating improvement teams and strategies.

Dr Gilmore works with the CMS Bundled Payment program with diagnosis related group (DRG) population-based care management. He is the Physician Leader for the Multi-disciplinary central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) Elimination Team: 24 in 2016 to ZERO for 2017, 2018 (and again currently).

Barb Nickel, APRN-CNS, CCRN, CRNI® is a Clinical Nurse Specialist at a large health care system in the United States, responsible for staff development and process improvement to optimize outcomes in multiple areas of clinical practice, including critical care, infusion therapy, sepsis, and new graduate transition to practice. Ms Nickel has presented nationally and internationally and published in several peer-review journals on infusion-related topics. She was the chair of the 2024 INS Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice Committee, and is now chair of the 2027 Standards Committee. She also serves as Adjunct Research Fellow for Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.

Dr Marlene Steinheiser, Chief Clinical Officer at INS, is responsible for supporting the vision and mission of the organization nationally and globally, which includes strategic planning and development of new programs, research, and education. Additionally, she provides leadership and oversight for the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Infusion Nursing and the Editor in Chief of the Infusion Therapy Standards of Practice, ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic vision and publication standards.

Dr Steinheiser has been a CRNI® since 1991 and has 39 years of nursing experience. Her background includes work in diverse clinical settings, faculty roles in both pre-licensure and post-licensure nursing education, and service as a nurse practice consultant for a state nursing regulatory board. Her passion for infusion therapy and vascular access has been integrated into each of her varied career roles.

Dr Steinheiser holds a PhD from the University of Arizona, a master’s degree and a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Akron, and a nursing diploma from Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital School of Nursing. She conducts research on infusion therapy and vascular access topics, with a particular interest in mixed methods research and qualitative data analysis. She also presents nationally and internationally on infusion therapy and vascular access topics.

Carla Dillard, MSN, RN, VA-BC, is the Senior Clinical Advisor for Dynamic Access and Dynamic Infusion, a specialty she has embraced since 2005. Dynamic Access is committed to delivering vital vascular access services across various settings, including acute care facilities, long-term care centers, and nursing homes, serving organizations in 24 states across the United States. Over the course of her career, she has been fortunate to assume various leadership positions, enabling her to make significant contributions to her organization's clinical, operational, and educational initiatives.
Before joining Dynamic, Ms Dillard worked as a registered nurse in acute care emergency and intensive care units. She established an educational company in 2013 to address deficiencies in clinical bedside care. She remains dedicated to bridging these gaps motivated by her passion for education.
Ms Dillard started her educational journey in 1986 as a medical assistant. She then went on to earn her Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from Collin College of Nursing, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing.

MichaelWhitner, MSN, RN, VA-BC, is a Clinical Transformation Director for BectonDickinson (BD). He held previous roles as an Emergency and Trauma RN and InterventionalRadiology Coordinator and implemented a health system’s first Vascular AccessTeam as Vascular Access Specialist lead. At BD, Mr Whitner held roles as aClinical Specialist, Clinical Lead and Senior Clinical Manager. In his currentrole, he works with health system teams to connect vascular access clinicalinsights with practical strategies, discusses clinical data analytics,facilitates system conversions, and provides opportunities to elevate the voiceof the clinician.

Outside ofwork, Mr Whitner enjoys traveling and seeing new places. He’s passionate aboutmentoring nurses and is a co-chair of the BD Nurse Network ARG community pillarand helped to lead the first BD Nurse LEADER Mentor program in partnership withthe Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association (FNSNA) earlier thisyear.

When he’snot diving into transformation projects, you might find him experimenting withnew recipes in the kitchen and spending time with family and friends. He will oneday get back to his hobby of golfing and gardening, but for now you will findhim running around with his wife chasing their 2 sons (ages 5 and 3) and16-month-old daughter.

Louise Esterhuizen, RN, B.Cur is a private nurse practitioner with over 37 years of experience in the medical industry, pursuing a Master’s in Vascular Access Education. Her career spans diverse areas such as medical sales, clinical training, vascular access, cardiothoracic surgery, nursing education, and digital marketing. As a private nurse practitioner, she specializes in providing safe vascular access for patients requiring long-term IV therapy, including chemotherapy, antibiotics, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Ms Esterhuizen is passionate about improving skills necessary to excel in this area, to enhance overall patient outcomes. Her dedication to safe vascular access, particularly in peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), has earned her a spot as South Africa's representative on the Global Vascular Access Network (GloVANet) and World Congress on Vascular Access (WoCoVA) committees. As the Founder of the Vascular Access Multidisciplinary Practice, Ms Esterhuizen has collaborated with independent clinicians to establish vascular access teams in hospitals, ensuring patients receive the correct vascular access device from the outset. She is a lifelong learner and committed to innovation, continual improvement, and effective problem-solving.