Former AANA President Selected to Join the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub Committee

Dr. Jackie Rowles, DNP, CRNA, NSPM-C, FAANA, FAAN, president of the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists (IFNA) and a former president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), has been selected to join the United Nations (UN) Global Surgery Learning Hub Committee.

The project’s goal is to strengthen global development of the surgical care workforce, and ultimately surgical capacity, by offering free online education for all members of the perioperative team: surgeons, anesthesia professionals, and members of the peri-operative team.

In October 2022, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) received an invitation from the UN to nominate candidates to serve on a new project: the UN Global Surgery Learning Hub. ICN President Dr. Pam Cipriano contacted Rowles to ask permission to nominate her to serve on one of the project’s three committees. Rowles was selected to serve on the Content Committee, whose charge is to develop inclusion and exclusion criteria for online learning and to review program submissions. Committee membership includes a UN project lead, nine surgeons, one physician anesthesiologist, and Rowles – the only nurse. Committee work began in February, and in May Rowles was elected Vice-Chair by her committee colleagues.

“ICN was extremely pleased to nominate Dr. Rowles to serve on the Content Committee of the United Nations Global Surgery Learning Hub project,” said ICN President, Dr. Pam Cipriano. “She is a highly respected expert in nurse anesthesia practice with exceptional experience as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, a board-certified Adult Nurse Practitioner, and educator. As president of IFNA, a specialist affiliate of ICN, she has a global perspective and understanding of diverse populations and the skills and education needed by nurses and other clinicians across the surgical experience. Given her extensive experience developing traditional and online learning content for many aspects of advanced anesthesia care and pain management, she will ensure a strong nursing perspective is represented in the breadth and applicability of materials developed for the Learning Hub.”

Rowles is the AANA representative to the IFNA Council of National Representatives. She is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice and the Director of the Advanced Pain Management Fellowship Program at Texas Christian University. In 2016, she founded Our Hearts Your Hands, Inc. (OHYH), a charitable organization to support the education of nurse anesthetists in low-and-middle-income countries. OHYH has provided 21 grants to support nurse anesthesia education in eight African countries.

For more information on the UN Global Surgery Learning Hub, please visit the Global Surgery Foundation’s website.