Heide Cygan completed her BSN at the University of Michigan and her DNP at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She joined ACHNE when she joined the Rush University faculty in 2013. Many of her Rush colleagues were in leadership positions at the time, and she saw them contributing to the specialty in a way that inspired her to do more. Since joining ACHNE, she has held many positions, including her current role as President-Elect. In this role, she serves ex-officio on several committees, including communications and finance, and leads the effort in implementing our strategic plan. Other roles include co-chairing the Policy Committee from 2021-2022 after serving on the Policy Task Force from 2017-2018. She also served as the Midwest Member-at-Large from 2019-2021.
Heide is passionate about educating the next generation of nurses. She wants young nurses to love public health as much as she does! To encourage this, she strives to develop engaging, innovative learning experiences in and out of the classroom for her students. Seeing students succeed makes her proud, whether this is watching a struggling student work hard to earn an A in the course or seeing their name in print as an author on a peer-reviewed journal article.
Heide’s research and practice areas are varied. She has spent a great deal of her career in student health, working in school-based health centers and with school nurses. Her current practice entails working with school districts to support student health and wellness through policy implementation and evaluation. Recently, she’s expanded her research interests to combine her passion for educating students and climate change. Heide was funded to lead an interdisciplinary team to develop health professionals as climate change leaders. Understanding the impact that climate change has on the populations we serve and the impact our practice has on climate change is essential.
Heide would like ACHNE members to know that “You have influence and there is power in influence. Use your voice to support those who need it the most. Teach your students to do the same.”
Know someone you think would be a good member to spotlight? Send their name and contact information to the communications committee!