Global Health Panel

Join us on Zoom for a panel discussion with UMSN Alumni about their different careers related to global nursing.

The Panelists:

Meagan Chuey, PhD, CNM, RN
Preventive Medicine Fellow at Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Meagan is a Certified Nurse Midwife with a PhD in Nursing and has worked as a pediatric emergency room nurse in Detroit and as a midwife in the Bronx. Her dissertation work focused on reproductive decision-making in women experiencing major life stressors and included conducting interviews with women from Syria who resettled as refugees in Michigan. As an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer split between the County of San Diego Epidemiology Program and the CDC’s US-Mexico Unit, Meagan was able to participate in outbreaks and investigations at both the local and federal levels, frequently alongside state and international partners, providing a unique perspective on collaborative public health practice. She has extensive clinical and research experience in maternal and child, reproductive, and binational, migrant, and refugee health. [Bio under “Class of 2021”]

Julie Buser, PhD, CPNP-PC, RN, BA
Senior Research Area Specialist
University of Michigan, Center for International Reproductive Health Training

Julie M. Buser, PhD, CPNP-PC, RN, BA is a global maternal-newborn-child health researcher. She is a Senior Research Area Specialist with the Center for International Reproductive Health Training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Buser also maintains a clinical practice in ambulatory pediatric hematology, oncology & bone marrow transplant nursing at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Dr. Buser completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center and received her PhD in Nursing from the University of Michigan, Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Michigan, Bachelor of Nursing degree from Wayne State University, and Bachelor of Arts degree from Kalamazoo College. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Buser received certificates in both African Studies and Global Health Research. She has extensive experience providing international humanitarian medical assistance in several low- and middle-income countries.

Melissa Saftner, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM
Clinical Professor & Specialty Director, Nurse-Midwifery Program
University of Minnesota, School of Nursing

Melissa A. Saftner, PhD, APRN, CNM, FACNM, is a clinical professor in the School of Nursing where she directs the nurse-midwifery program. She is a member of the ACNM DGE Education Committee, ACNM Committee of Midwife Advocates for Certified Midwives and is active in the Minnesota Affiliate of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Dr. Saftner’s research focus is on adolescent health issues, particularly global adolescent health, and physiologic birth. She is peer reviewer for multiple professional journals and a site visitor for the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education. [Full Bio]

Edward Yackel, DNP, FNP-C, FAANP
Acting Executive Director, National Center for Patient Safety
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs

Dr. Yackel oversees the VHA Office of Patient Safety comprised of the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS), Utilization Management, and Product Effectiveness. Dr. Yackel joined NCPS in December 2019 as Deputy Executive Director after retiring from an extensive military career reaching the rank of Colonel. He assumed his current duties in June 2021.

Dr. Yackel, through his education, experience, and leadership, has had a tremendous impact on patient safety. He was instrumental in leading the Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) into a quality improvement journey establishing MEDCOM as a learning organization through several changes. One of the system-wide changes included engaging multidisciplinary teams in developing solution sets to improve health care outcomes.

Dr. Yackel currently serves as a senior VA patient safety executive who provides national leadership for the formulation, establishment, operation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of effective management policies, programs, and practices for the Veterans Health Administration that maximize clinical patient safety delivered across the full continuum of care sites.

Dr. Yackel received his Doctorate in Nursing from Duke University, his Master's in Nursing from the University of Michigan, Master's in Strategic Studies from the Army War College and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lake Superior University. [VA Bio] [UMSN Alumni Spotlight]