The Advanced Practice Initiatives & Certification Outreach Team
Honoring Healthy Aging Month: Purposeful Living for Individuals with Dementia Featuring the Story of Angie Filipiak, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Angie Filipiak has always been inspired to help others. During high school, she volunteered at a local hospital, where she enjoyed speaking with patients and listening to their stories. This experience sparked her passion for nursing.
Angie believes that nursing provides countless opportunities and is one of the few careers where each day brings the chance to make a meaningful, positive difference in someone’s life. During her time as a nurse manager on an adult medical-surgical unit and while pursuing her MSN in Nursing Leadership, she witnessed the profound impact a simple gesture had on a patient living with dementia. The patient, a former NICU nurse, had been asking for her baby, and staff provided her with towels to hold.
The small act of holding a familiar object brought this patient comfort, evoking reassurance from her past experiences and nurturing instincts. Later, Angie brought in a new baby doll, hoping it might help another patient. Soon after, a highly agitated patient was admitted—yelling, impulsive, a high fall risk, on isolation, and frequently triggering her bed alarm. Despite meeting her immediate needs and exploring possible causes, her behavior did not improve. During a care team discussion, Angie suggested offering the baby doll, knowing the patient had dementia. Almost immediately, the patient calmed, stopped yelling, ceased trying to get out of bed unassisted, and appeared significantly more at ease. The doll continued to comfort the patient for the remainder of her hospital stay. Her bed alarm rarely sounded, her agitation subsided, and her impulsivity decreased. The entire unit was amazed by the immediate and profound impact this simple intervention had on her well-being.
Angie completed a year-long study utilizing doll therapy in a hospital setting to reduce fall rates and alleviate negative symptoms in patients living with cognitive impairment. At the end of the study, she was informed by colleagues that an elderly patient who had been restless, agitated, had taken to a baby doll, speaking to it and calling it “Heidi”—the name of one of her grandchildren.
This improvement in behavior made her no longer need restraints. The patient passed away peacefully, still holding the doll. Grateful for the doll, the family asked for it to be buried with their mother. Angie never intended to start her own business. However, after hearing this story—and many other inspiring stories of positive impact—she was moved to create a doll therapy program designed to bring comfort and a sense of purpose to elders living with dementia. She recognized that in challenging acute care settings, doll therapy offersa compassionate, non-pharmacologic way to support safety and dignity.
She is proud to be ANCC board certified in Nurse Executive, Advanced (NEA-BC), a credential that has enhanced her leadership skills. Her professional achievements, along with the knowledge gained through ANCC certification, have empowered her—and continue to empower her—to support patients with both innovation and compassion. Angie believed in going above and beyond with her program, choosing to include not only doll therapy kits but also comprehensive education, training, and supplies to support implementation in hospitals and long-term care settings. The program also offers individual kits for families, which include a doll, a receiving blanket, an introduction guide, fall prevention tips, and caregiver resources.
Angie understands that new programs can add to staff responsibilities, but she has seen doll therapy ease the challenges of caring for patients with dementia. She views this approach as a safe and effective form of support and is honored to help healthcare organizations implement it as a first-line intervention in dementia care. To her, the way we make people feel is what truly matters to patients and their families.
Hearing about and witnessing the meaningful difference in so many patients' lives is what fills Angie's cup. Bringing joy and a sense of meaning to her patients through doll therapy is deeply rewarding. Making a difference and helping others is the reason she became a nurse.
Honoring Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month & CNS Week (September 1-7) Featuring the Story of Petrina N. Harrison-Henry, DNP, APRN, AGCNS-BC, CIC
Dr. Petrina Harrison-Henry became a nurse twenty-two years ago, with a promise to herself: no one should feel unseen in their health journey. That calling began even earlier, during her time as a medical assistant in a women’s health clinic at a community hospital in New York. She witnessed the daily barriers women faced—cultural stigma, limited access to care, and gaps in health literacy—struggles that also affected her own family and community.
Inspired by the compassionate nurses who offered more than care—dignity, understanding, and hope—Petrina pursued nursing to bridge these gaps and be a voice for the unheard. Over the past two decades, she has served in diverse roles across the healthcare continuum, including acute care, home care, long-term care, and extended care services.
Today, Petrina is honored to serve the nation’s veterans as an Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist. In this role, she leads initiatives aimed at improving safety, quality, and outcomes for some of the most vulnerable populations—work that allows her to blend her passion for direct patient care with a broader, systems-level impact.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Petrina became the sole Infection Preventionist at her facility, leading life-saving protocols and supporting frontline teams through the crisis. Amid the chaos, she noticed a troubling trend—women delaying screenings, leading to late-stage ovarian cancer diagnoses. Deeply moved by the impact of these delays—on patients, colleagues, and her own family—Petrina made this issue the focus of her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project. Her work to improve early ovarian cancer detection in rural clinics earned first place at the University at Buffalo School of Nursing Research Day.
This September, during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Petrina is especially mindful of the women whose voices often go unheard, a moment to acknowledge the hardships of those facing ovarian cancer. It also marks Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Week, a time to recognize the vital contributions of CNSs nationwide. For Petrina, these two observances are deeply intertwined.
Her role as a CNS empowers her to combine advanced clinical expertise with advocacy and policy efforts that have the potential to transform care systems for women everywhere.
As a Sigma Global Advocacy Scholar, she co-developed a Health Literacy Advocacy Action Plan to promote clear, equitable health information worldwide. She sees health literacy as life-saving and essential to empowering informed healthcare decisions. In the coming months, Petrina will present her research and advocacy at upcoming national conferences.
Earning her ANCC board certification as an Adult-Gerontology CNS (AGCNS-BC) was a turning point, validating her expertise and amplifying her leadership. Petrina recalls that, as a young nurse, she was driven to create lasting change in healthcare. While working in Infection Control and on a policy committee, she realized that true impact requires more than bedside care—it demands clinical expertise, leadership, and influence at the systems level. This insight led her to become a CNS, a role that combines direct patient care with the ability to shape policies and improve outcomes across populations. Now, holding ANCC certification has opened doors for broader impact, including co-authoring the CDC’s Certified Disease Intervention Specialist Examination and serving as an Adjunct Professor of Nursing—roles that allow her to influence both current practice and the future of the profession.
Petrina’s advice to aspiring CNSs is clear: persevere and remember your voice matters. The role uniquely bridges bedside care and systemic change, empowering nurses to influence healthcare at all levels. For her, the greatest reward lies in knowing that even small, intentional actions—mentoring, advocacy, or patient care—can create lasting, meaningful impact.
As September unfolds, Petrina reflects on her journey—from a young medical assistant to a nurse leader, advocate, and educator. Her mission is clear: to ensure no woman faces ovarian cancer in isolation or without recognition, and every veteran receives safe, dignified care. Whether at the bedside, in boardrooms, or on Capitol Hill, she is dedicated to turning silent struggles into action, awareness, and hope for patients, nurses, and communities alike.
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Meet Katelyn Bern who manages customer engagement through social media and at ANCC tradeshows. She is committed to delivering engaging and meaningful content to keep you informed about important updates, including celebrations of certified nurses, stories of inspiration, newsletters, upcoming webinars, and more!
Monthly Stories of Inspiration from ANCC Certified Nurses began in May of 2024. You can view all of the 2024 stories by visiting our Meet the Team's page, under the Resources for You tab. We also encourage you to read our 2025 stories:
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