Pam de Cordova is an associate professor at Rutgers School of Nursing and a nurse scientist for the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing which focuses on developing nursing workforce solutions for New Jersey residents . She has over 23 years of active acute care clinical experience specializing in adult progressive care. Her research focuses on examining nurse staffing and the quality of care delivered to patients in hospitals and residents in nursing homes.

Donna is a psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialist, psychotherapist, educator, and author. She has long addressed stress and trauma in the lives of adults and children, communities, and professional nurses— providing clinical and educational interventions in the aftermath of personal trauma and crisis as well as national disasters such as the Challenger explosion, 9/11, the Sandy Hook school shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Donna has always focused on the mental health and well-being of nurses, particularly those working in potentially traumatic environments, including forensic, disaster, critical care, and school settings. Additionally, she assists nurses in navigating the challenges posed by the ever-changing post-pandemic landscape of the healthcare system. Donna has provided pro-bono psychotherapy through the Emotional PPE Project and facilitates Virtual Schwartz Rounds for the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW). In September 2023, Johns Hopkins University Press published her evidence-based book Courageous Well-Being for Nurses: Strategies for Renewal. It provides nurses with vital concepts and strategies for safeguarding their mental health and improving overall well-being. Presently, she is designing a curriculum that explores the intersection of meaningful work, mattering, and well-being among healthcare professionals. 

In addition to academic papers, Donna is also the author of The Seasons of Grief, Helping Children Grow Through Loss, one of the first books written for the families of bereaved children. With extensive experience in classroom, experiential, and online education, Donna designs and offers workshops, presentations, and webinars nationally and internationally. She has taught and directed graduate programs at the International Trauma Studies Program, Columbia University, and Seton Hall University. Donna holds master’s degrees from Teachers College at Columbia University and Rutgers University and earned her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a Fellow at Columbia University Journalism School and received a post-graduate certificate from the International Trauma Studies Program in New York City. Donna works with families, schools, hospital systems, and professional nurses affected by trauma, loss, and violence. She is a member of the American Academy of Nursing. In 2021, she received the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Award for Excellence in Practice – APRN. For more information, go to www.DonnaGaffney.com 

Topics of expertise:

• • Well-being strategies for healthcare professionals  
  • loss and grief  
  • writing and the creative arts for healing  
  • trauma and secondary traumatic stress 

Mamilda Robinson

Degrees and Credentials: DNP, APN, PMHNP-BC

Education: Doctor of Nursing Practice, Masters of Science and Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Affiliations: American Psychiatric Nurses Association; Advanced Practice Nurses of New Jersey; International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses; National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties; Transcultural Nursing Society

Mamilda Robinson is a Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. She completed her undergraduate studies at The Pennsylvania State University, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.  She has served as Nursing Leader in the field of psychiatry and practices in Northern New Jersey. Dr. Robinson currently serves as a faculty member at Rutgers the State University of New Jersey School of Nursing – Advanced Practice Division as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Specialty Director of the Psychiatric-Mental Health BSN-DNP-Program.  She remains an active member/PI on two interdisciplinary grant-funded initiatives including RUBY/BHWET and OWEP grants. She also participates with HRSA funded Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) grant.

She has facilitated Virtual Schwartz Rounds for the New Jersey Nursing Emotional Well-Being Institute since March of 2020 for nurses working at hospital systems throughout New Jersey.

Additionally, Dr. Robinson has been recognized by The Rutgers School of Nursing Nurse Leadership Program as a Distinguished Nurse Leader.  Dr. Robinson serves on various School and RBHS-wide committees including: RBHS Wellbeing Collaborative, (A strategic plan with respect for faculty and staff well-being to ensure culture and respect), RBHS Anti-Racism Task Force for Diversity and Inclusion, RBHS Suicide Awareness School-Wide Committee, The Dean’s Standing Committee on Anti-Racism and Anti-Bias, Voices of Color and other SON committees including Curriculum and Evaluation and much more.

Dr. Robinson is the sole proprietor of Advanced Wellness Services through which she provides psychiatric-mental health care across the lifespan. Dr. Robinson is actively involved in clinical scholarship and uses Evidenced Based Practice to provide patient centered, population specific, and trauma informed care.   She is passionate about her work in mental health and brings much expertise and value to the Psych-Mental Health specialty and the profession of nursing at large.

Susan W. Salmond, EdD, RN, ANEF, FAAN, has been Program Director of the New Jersey Nursing and Emotional Well-Being Institute (NJ-NEW) since its inception in January of 2022. As Program Director of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Nursing Initiative (NJNI) — a role she served from 2013 to early 2022 — Dr. Salmond was instrumental in guiding that agency’s work, which focused on curriculum and faculty development and the development of new approaches to nursing education with greater emphasis on community-based care and population health. When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Dr Salmond was in an ideal position to work with nurses to identify the needs that COVID tore open. Dr. Salmond then worked closely with NJNI’s funders and stakeholder to re-direct funding towards implementation of three complementary programs to support the emotional well-being of New Jersey Nurses under the banner of NJ-NEW. These programs are: 1) Stress First Aid (SFA) training, 2) Virtual Schwartz Rounds and 3) the Nurse2NurseNJ Helpline.

When she is not supporting the efforts of New Jersey’s nurses through NJ-NEW or NJNI, Dr. Salmond’s full-time role is as Executive Vice Dean and Professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Nursing, with primary responsibility for academic programs and clinical practice. In addition to her work with NJ-NEW and as an academic administrator, Dr. Salmond is also a scholar. She is the Co-Director of the Northeast Institute for Evidence Synthesis and Translation (NEST) at Rutgers School of Nursing. NEST was established in 2004 as a JBI center of excellence, which focuses on researching evidence-based healthcare in a formal assessment called a systematic review. She has also authored or co-authored 10 textbooks, 20 book chapters, and nearly 100 publications.

Dr. Salmond received her BSN from Villanova University College of Nursing, which in 2012 presented her its highest of award, the College of Nursing Medallion. She is a 2012 inductee into the Hall of Honor at Seton Hall University College of Nursing, where she received her MSN with a specialization in chronic illness management. She earned her EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University. Certified in nursing education, transcultural nursing, and leadership, Dr. Salmond is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a fellow of the National League of Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education.