The advocacy toolkit: Student leaders advancing NP practice as policy advocates Recently minted DNPs, Dr. Andrea Kennedy, Dr. Jeffrey Howard, and Dr. Teresa Vazquez discuss their journey and lessons learned as they developed their policy toolkit for NPs to effectively advocate as policymakers and changemakers.
Dr. Jeffrey Howard
Dr. Jeffrey Howard, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, is a Family Nurse Practitioner, health policy advocate, and healthcare leader based in Texas. He earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice from Baylor University, where his scholarly work focused on advancing APRN Full Practice Authority through a structured policy toolkit designed to equip nurse practitioners for legislative engagement. Dr. Howard serves in multiple state and local leadership roles supporting nursing advocacy and workforce policy. His work bridges clinical practice, systems leadership, and policy strategy to empower DNPs to lead meaningful change in healthcare.
Dr. Andrea Kirchner
Andrea Kirchner, DNP, is a family nurse practitioner with a passion for policy engagement and for helping advanced practice nurses recognize their influence beyond the clinical setting. Her interest in advocacy began before her nursing career through grassroots legislative work focused on protecting the rights of parents to breastfeed in public and pump in the workplace.
Throughout her nursing journey, Andrea has worked alongside professional organizations and peers to promote meaningful engagement in health policy and systems-level change. She believes this work begins by empowering those who understand the issues that affect patients and the profession.
Andrea values honest conversations about navigating policy change, balancing clinical practice with broader professional involvement, and finding sustainable ways to contribute to the future of healthcare.
Dr. M. Teresa Vazquez
Teresa (Terri) Vazquez, DNP, FNP-C is a graduate of Baylor University and a Family Nurse Practitioner currently practicing in rheumatology. Her clinical work focuses on caring for patients with complex, chronic inflammatory conditions, emphasizing long-term relationships, patient education, and shared decision-making.
Her doctoral work focused on preparing APRNs to approach policy engagement with greater confidence and readiness. Through this work, she explored how increasing access to practical tools and reframing advocacy as an accessible process can support APRNs at varying levels of experience and intention—whether responding to opportunities as they arise or seeking to mobilize in more proactive ways.
While she is not currently engaged in advocacy as a primary professional role, Dr. Vazquez remains deeply invested in advancing full practice authority for nurse practitioners and in challenging misconceptions about the value, safety, and impact of APRN practice. She believes that meaningful advocacy often begins with preparation and awareness, long before formal action takes place.
As a clinician-scholar, Dr. Vazquez brings a grounded perspective to policy discussions shaped by daily patient care, ongoing learning, and a commitment to supporting fellow APRNs as they navigate complex professional and policy environments.
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