SOHN 2025 Leadership Candidates for Election

Voting is now open until Sept 18th, 2024, for SOHN Leadership. The results will be tallied by September 19, 2024. Please see candidate names, headshots, and bios below as well as a link to view their candidate statement videos. Voting is limited to one completion of this voting form. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@sohnnurse.com.

Trisha Holmes, BSN, RN, CORLN
Skull Base Nurse Navigator for 5 years. Coordinating patients’ care between neurosurgery and ENT. Previous
operating room nurse with over 20 years experience, scrubbing and circulating. A travel nurse position led to an assignment at Duke University Hospital. My assignment at Duke led to a permanent position and ultimately to the clinical lead of the Otolaryngology/Head & Neck team (OHN). I was then asked to apply for skull base nurse navigator position..

View Trisha's Candidate Statement Video

Margaret McCasland, MSN
Hello, SOHN Members

My name is Margaret McCasland and I am an Advanced Practice Nurse with the Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology Division at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. I am seeking a position on the SOHN Nomination Committee.

I’ve been a nurse for 27 years; most of that time was in the Critical Care Setting, both as a bedside nurse and advanced Practice Nurse, all the while being a member of numerous unit and hospital based committees.

I transitioned to Otorhinolaryngology in 2015; joined SOHN in 2016 and sat for the Certified Otorhinolaryngology Nurse exam in 2020. SOHN has provided me with so many learning opportunities, it would be great to give back to the organization, which is why I’m now seeking a position on the Nomination Committee.

I look forward to serving you.

View Margaret's Candidate Statement Video

Laurie Newton DNP, RN, CPNP
Laurie Newton is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner in acute and primary care and a member of the pediatric otolaryngology division at the Medical College of Wisconsin where she has practiced at Children’s Wisconsin since 2006. She was recently promoted to a formal faculty position at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and she is the current APP lead for pediatric otolaryngology. Dr. Newton was recruited to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing after completing her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree and has taught since 2015 as a clinical associate professor.

Dr. Newton has a deep understanding of advanced practice providers’ (APPs) needs and challenges through her own practice, teaching, and committee service as chair of the APN Discipline, chair of the Children’s Specialty Group (CSG) Professional Development Committee and member of the Advanced Practice Provider(APP) leadership team at Children’s Wisconsin. She has been an active member in the Society of Otolaryngology Head-Neck Nurses (SOHN) during her career, often presenting at the annual Congress and spring meeting. She is also a member of the Editorial Board for the ORL Journal. She has been an elected board member for the Society of Ears, Nose, and Throat Advancements in Children (SENTAC) and a member of the Association of Postgraduate APRN Programs (APGAP).

In addition to her clinical responsibilities, Dr. Newton is the Assistant Director of APPs with a core responsibility of developing and overseeing the centralized pediatric APP fellowship program at Children’s Specialty Group. As faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Nursing, her scholarly work focuses on innovation in nursing education. Her dual roles as a clinical provider and nurse educator gives her first-hand experience with the needs of novice APPs, helping her to effectively lead development of clinical and professionalism training initiatives for new graduates and APP fellows.

View Laurie's Candidate Statement Video

Kevin M. Callans, RN, BSN, Fellow, RCSI FNM

Kevin Mary Callans, B.S.N, R.N is currently a Case Manager at both Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children (MGHfC) supporting families of children with critical airway conditions. This role includes partnering with parents to design a multi-faceted program to ease caregiver stress as part of family-centered care. Ms. Callans is a Co-Investigator on a five-year, multi-site study funded by PCORI. As Director of Nursing of CareWays Collaborative, an airway surgery team that builds sustainable practices for ENTs, intensivists, and nurses in Latin America. Ms. Callans also supports families of children with Down’s syndrome that have a Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulator implanted to improve sleep and cognition. A graduate of Georgetown University, Ms. Callans is a 2013 recipient of the MGH Yvonne L. Munn Nursing Research Award and a 2014 recipient of the Lois Moore Lectureship. In 2022, Ms. Callans became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. Ms. Callans is a named author on numerous peer-reviewed published articles and is a frequent presenter at nursing conferences.

View Kevin's Candidate Statement Video

Tiffany M. Ellis, DNP, ANP-C, CORLN
I received my Master of Science in Nursing as an Adult Nurse Practitioner from Daemen College in Amherst, NY January 2012, and Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro April 2023. I am currently employed at the Veterans Administration in Durham, NC working as a specialist in Otolaryngology for the past 7 years. I have been previously employed as an ICU RN, and a Nurse Practitioner working in a pulmonary specialty and then as a hospitalist at UNC Nash General Hospital in Rocky Mount, NC. As a nurse practitioner specializing in otorhinolaryngology, I have been an active member in the Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Nurses as current co-chair of the research committee, leader of the Federal/Military SIG, secretary of the NC local chapter, reviewer and contributor to the SOHN journal, and attendant and presenter at the annual congress. I have been a Peer Reviewer for two AAO-HNS guidelines. I was also the 2023 Recipient of the SOHN Clinical Excellence Award. In my personal career at the VA I work hard to ensure excellent and cost effective care to our nation’s veterans. My office is known as the “fun one” because I value compassion, honesty, and humor in the delivery of care. I am active on the planning committee for the national VA APRN symposium, attend resident lectures at Duke UH, teach as an NP preceptor, and present for the VA NP residency program. In my personal life, my husband and I share three children ages 17, 15, and 12. We enjoy kayaking, live music, motorcycling, and cheering for Buffalo Bills and Carolina Hurricanes.

View Tiffany's Candidate Statement Video

Lisa Gagnon, APRN, CPNP
SOHN has been an instrumental organization in my professional growth as an APRN in Pediatric Otolaryngology. When I joined 18 years ago, I found a warm welcome of individuals eager to mentor me. I have enjoyed being part of this amazing organization and feel fortunate to have served in various leadership positions within SOHN. I began with presenting a lecture which led to increased involvement with education, then running the Pediatric Spring Meeting for two consecutive years. This segued to the opportunity to participate with a team to run the Congress Meeting. I was involved concurrently with the educational planning committee and Nursing Practice and Research, building more skills- for instance writing a section of the pediatric chapter of the revised Core Curriculum text. I am grateful for our affiliation with AAO- HNSF and had an exciting opportunity to participate with


View Lisa's Candidate Statement Video

Sarah Holdsworth, MSN, ANP-BC, CORLN
I have been a Nurse practitioner working in ORL nursing for 15 years. I have been active in the SOHN community in many aspects including teaching, and presenting. Most recently I have been active on the Board of Directors. I look forward to continuing my service for SOHN.


View Sarah's Candidate Statement Video

Amy Ashburn, DNP, FNP-BC, CORLN
My name is Amy Ashburn and I am the lead APP for the division of otolaryngology head & neck surgery at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and an assistant professor of practice at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. I enjoy teaching and being a student, so I can continue to grow in my profession, which is why SOHN is so important. I have had the privilege of representing SOHN on the Board of Directors, participating in presentations, and as the 2024 congress symposium chair. I enjoy being part of SOHN, gaining friendships with incredible colleagues, and I would like to continue to contribute in growing our organization. When I am not immersed in ENT, I am spending time with my family and traveling.

View Amy's Candidate Statement Video

Troy DeRose, RN, MSN, CRNP, RNFA, CORLN, ANCC-C, BC-FNP, BC-ACGNP
I am a career Jeffersonian at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital starting as an RN in 1997, then completing a family nurse practitioner certification in 2003. I was hired by the Department of Otolaryngology at TJUH in 2003 as an inpatient nurse practitioner. I completed a registered nurse first assistant program at Delaware Community College in 2006. I later completed a post master's degree and an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification in 2014. I held positions of Vice President of the Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of SOHN (2017-2019), served on nominating committee (2017-2019), served as chairman of the membership enhancement committee (2019 -2023), and served two consecutive terms as a member of the SOHN board from 2019-2023. I have been published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, American Journal of Critical Care, and the SOHN journal. I have also written two chapters on Otolaryngology in "Alexander's Care to the patient in Surgery" in 2010 and 2014. My hobbies and interests include music, wine, and Brazilian jiu jitsu.

View Troy's Candidate Statement Video

Wendy Mackey, DNP, APRN, CORLN

Wendy Lord Mackey, DNP, APRN-BC, CORLN has focused the past 20 plus years to pediatric otolaryngology with prior specialization in general pediatric surgery and trauma and pediatric pain management. Since 2003, she has practiced as a pediatric otolaryngology nurse practitioner at Connecticut Pediatric Otolaryngology with special interest in the care of children with general pediatric otolaryngologic concerns, Trisomy 21, airway concerns, and antibiotic stewardship.

Wendy has been a faculty member at Yale School of Nursing since 1994, teaching in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Subspecialty, Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Clinical Education Program and Graduate Entry Pre-specialty Nursing Program. She earned her Clinical Doctor of Nursing Practice degree and her Masters in Pediatric Nursing from Yale University, and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Laurentian University in Northern Ontario, Canada.

Wendy is a proud and active member of the Society of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Nurses (SOHN) currently serving as SOHN Vice president, ENTNF Vice President, Chair of Practice and Research Committee and active on many other committees. She is a founding member and immediate past president of the Connecticut chapter of SOHN. She presents regularly at conferences and has over 30 peer-reviewed published journals articles and book chapters. Additionally she is involved with multiple other professional organizations including National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Sigma Theta Tau (Delta Mu Chapter), and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

She has been awarded the DNP Scholarship Award (2021), Presidential Award (2019) and the Literary Award (2017) from SOHN, and the Preceptor to the Year (2016) from Yale School of Nursing. Wendy is passionate about the profession of nursing, the medical care of children and their families and the education of the next generation of advance practice nurses and health care professionals.

View Wendy's Candidate Statement Video