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Members

The National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP) includes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or a delegate who serves as an ex officio member and chairperson. The HHS Secretary will choose between 21 and 23 members, who serve four-year terms on a rotating basis.

The Division of Nursing and Public Health, Bureau of Health Workforce, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), runs and supports the Advisory Council. 

NACNEP leadership

Leah Z FitzGerald, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN

Dr. Leah FitzGerald is the Director of the Division of Nursing and Public Health at the Health Resources and Services Administration in the Bureau of Health Workforce, where she is responsible for the strategic guidance for a $610M/year portfolio of programs spanning more than 900 federal awards in nursing, public health, and behavioral health. In this capacity, Dr. FitzGerald serves as principal advisor on strategies and decisions regarding national policy regarding support of nursing practice and education, and behavioral and public health programs. Dr. FitzGerald completed a BSN and MSN at Boston College School of Nursing and then earned a PhD in Nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).  She completed post-doctoral training at the UCLA Norman Cousins Center in psychoneuroimmunology, providing a strong foundation for Biobehavioral Nursing, recognizing the benefits and risks of preventive health services/behaviors and the complexity and importance of nursing in primary care. Dr. FitzGerald is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and has over 35 years of clinical experience.  Prior to joining HRSA in 2023, she was Professor and Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair Community Partnerships at Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles, California where she also served as Dean of Nursing for 7 years.  From 2005-2015, she was faculty at University of California, Los Angeles.  Dr. FitzGerald was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2021. She is the current president of The Roy Adaptation Association International.

Membership roster

Briefing Guide for Council Members (PDF - 111 KB)

Want to be a council member?

Note: If you use assistive technology, you may not be able to access information in these files. For assistance, email us.

Nominations for membership 

We are seeking nominations of qualified candidates to fill up to 11 open positions. However, we keep the CVs and resumes of all NACNEP nominees we receive for up to three years to fill future openings. If you no longer wish to be considered for future openings, contact us

You can find more information about nominations in the Federal Register.

Contact us for more information about eligibility and application requirements.

Are you eligible? 

The HHS Secretary will consider nominations of all qualified people in:

  • Nursing, higher and secondary education, and associate degree schools of nursing
  • Advanced education nursing groups,such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists
  • Hospitals and other groupsthat provide nursing services
  • Practicing professional nurses
  • The public
  • Full-time students enrolled in schools of nursing
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