July 6, 2023 – The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the largest professional membership organization representing the nation’s 355,000 licensed nurse practitioners, recently announced Stephen A. Ferrara, DNP, as the association’s new president. On June 25, Ferrara succeeded April N. Kapu, DNP, who had served with distinction as AANP President since 2021.
Ferrara is an actively practicing NP with years of clinical and health policy development experience, from which he drew to help secure full and direct access to NP-delivered care for patients in the state of New York. Ferrara formerly served as executive director of the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State. He is a member of the senior leadership team at Columbia University’s School of Nursing, serving as the associate dean of clinical affairs and associate professor. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the NP primary care faculty practice located in New York City, where he teaches health policy in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.
Ferrara has a special interest in health information technology and the integration of evidence-based practice into daily practice. His doctoral work examined the impact of group health visits on the health of patients with Type 2 diabetes and the extent that this intervention led to better health outcomes. Ferrara has been honored with the AANP New York NP State Award for Excellence and inducted as a Fellow of AANP, the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine.
As president of AANP, Ferrara will lead the organization in advancing the NP role by shaping health care policy, driving research and innovation and promoting high-quality, person-centered care. He will work with AANP’s board of directors, members, CEO and stakeholders to further elevate the role of NPs as essential providers within the health care system.