FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Dr. Debra A. Toney December 2, 2025 NCEMNA Statement: Reclassification of Nursing Threatens Access to Care The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA) is deeply concerned about the recent reclassification of nursing as a non-professional degree. This threatens to limit access to federal student loans for graduate nursing students, while disproportionately affecting ethnic minority nurses. The Trump administration is no

Manny Ramos, DNP, RN, serves as President-Elect of the Philippine Nurses Association of America and has played a defining role in building PNAA’s national leadership-development infrastructure. He led the development and creation of the online Innovative Leadership Development Program (iLDP) and served as its inaugural director for seven years, helping prepare more than 240 Fellows and establishing a culturally grounded, scalable model for leadership, mentorship, governance,

Rancho Cucamonga, CA -The National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations (NCEMNA) is pleased to announce that The American...

Marcia A. Lowe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Tuskegee Institute in 1983, a Master of Science in Nursing Education with honors from Samford University in 2002, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD) in 2019 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of nursing in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Lowe has over 40 years of professional nursing experience which includes Post-Anesthesia Care, Medical Surgical, Research, Management, Endoscopy/ GI M

Armando Riera, MSN, APRN-BC, AHP, HP, is an advanced practice family medicine clinician with more than 30 years of nursing experience, including 18 years as an Advanced Practice Clinician. He has served across primary care, urgent care, perioperative services, clinical care coordination, mentoring, and leadership roles at Jackson Memorial Hospital, UM/JMH, and Mercy Hospital. A graduate of Florida International University with both a BSN and MSN, he is board-certified and act

Kristen Choi, PhD, PMHNP-BC, FAAN is an Associate Professor and Audrienne H. Moseley Chair in Nursing at the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing and UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management. She is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and health services researcher who studies mental health and healthcare among vulnerable populations. Her current research projects include studies on adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informe

Ha Do Byon is a nurse educator and scientist. He has served as faculty since 2016. He has clinical experience in community health nursing and acute care settings, including home-visiting nursing with older adults in Harlem, New York City. Ha Do’s research focuses on improving the health and safety of healthcare workers. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve as Treasurer (2026–2029) of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Nurses Association (AAPINA) and as a member of the

Tonya M. Patterson has over 30 years' experience as an Executive Assistant which she acquired while serving at various top companies in Corporate America as well as community-based organizations. In 2008, she became the founder and CEO of The #1 B.O.S.S. (Business Organization & Systems Specialist), a contractual Virtual Executive Assistant service dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs with effective administrative solutions and compliance support. She maintained this busi

DERRICK HUMPHRIES, Esq., Legal Counsel -- is a founding partner of Humphries & Partners, PLLC. He provides services to select global multi-ethnic professional associations, corporations, not-for-profit organizations, families and individuals with a strong focus on value-added service to his clients. Mr. Humphries brings background in corporate accountability, transparency, education, public policy and litigation. He is a trusted advisor and author-lecturer on governance,

Teresa Brockie, PhD, RN, FAAN, is an Indigenous nurse scientist, educator, and national leader in Native American health research. A...

Dr. Veronica Vital has 26 years of nursing experience in academia, research, pediatrics, women’s health, and community health. She earned...

Dr. Brian Ahn is the President-Elect of the AAPINA and the Dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Arizona. As an...