The HUGGIES^® Nursing Advisory Council

The Huggies^® Nursing Advisory Council (HNAC) is made up of experts from the United States and Canada who specialize in neonatal and perinatal nursing, occupational therapy, and education, as well as an NICU parent advocate. The Advisory Council extends Huggies^® long-standing commitment to partnering with healthcare professionals.

Launched in 2015, the Huggies® Nursing Advisory Council works with Huggies^® to identify opportunities to provide resources that recognize nurses’ contributions and help them perform their best — for babies, families and communities.

The broad expertise of the Advisory Council informs resources and support for perinatal and neonatal nurses, as well as other healthcare providers who play a critical role in diapering and care for newborn skin health and development. Most recently, the Advisory Council launched Every Change Matters™: A Guide to Developmental Diapering Care, which provides practical information for incorporating elements of evidence-based developmental care into diapering practices.

Meet the Huggies Nursing Advisory Council

• Sharon Dore, RN, BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
• Elizabeth Drake, RN-NIC, MN, NNP, CNS, NICU Clinical Nurse Specialist, CHOC Children's, Mission Viejo, California
• Media Esser, NNP-BC, APNP, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Kelli Kelley, Founder & Executive Director, Hand to Hold, Austin, Texas
• Joanne Kuller, RN, MS, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California
• Sue Ludwig, OTR/L, Founder & President, National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Cincinnati, Ohio
• Debianne Peterman, PhD, MSN, RNC-NIC, NE-BC, Vice President, Clinical Education and Professional Development, TriStar Health, Brentwood, Tennessee

More About the Council

Sharon Dore,

RN, BScN, M Ed, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada

Sharon Dore is associate clinical professor at McMaster University School of Nursing and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Hamilton, Ontario, where she educates students in graduate and neonatal nurse practitioner programs, in addition to medical students and obstetrics residents. She is also involved in research and quality assurance at the university.

Dore has years of experience as an advance practice registered nurse, with a focus on labor and delivery, high-risk clinics and postpartum and gynecology units, and a particular interest in intrapartum care and high-risk obstetrics. She serves as president of the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses (CAPWHN) and is a member on the Education Innovation Committee of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Canada (SOGC). She is also co-chair of the Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM), Guidelines Management and Oversight, and Obstetrical Content Review committees in the same organization.

In addition, Dore’s interests as a researcher have included newborn cord care, post-op C-section nutrition and approaches to nurse education.

Dore earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from McMaster University, a Master of Education from Brock University, and a PhD with a focus in nursing and psychology from Wayne State University.

Elizabeth Drake,

RN-NIC, MN, NNP, CNS, NICU Clinical Nurse Specialist, CHOC Children's, Mission Viejo, California

Liz Drake has been practicing in the NICU for 35 years. She has practiced in different roles throughout her career, but her time spent at the bedside with patients, families, and team members is most meaningful. Quality Improvement, neuroprotective care and Family-Integrated care (also known as FI-Care) are her passions. She has a strong desire to teach all members of the healthcare team about the uniqueness and language of the premature infant. As an active clinician, she focuses on how every touch and relational experience we have with the premature infant and their family can have impact.

Drake is an Advanced Practice Nurse and currently the CNS in the NICU at CHOC Children’s of Orange County, Mission Viejo Campus. She’s also a published author, a nationally recognized national conference presenter, and consultant.

Drake received her Master’s Degree, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist certification from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Media Esser,

NNP-BC, APNP, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Media Esser serves as an advanced practice neonatal nurse at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, caring for infants with acute illnesses including congenital birth defects, drug exposure in utero, respiratory failure and prematurity. In this role, she independently attends deliveries and collaborates with medical and specialty teams.

Esser has more than 10 years of experience caring for neonatal patients in hospitals, with a particular interest in building awareness of the importance of neonatal skin care. In 2012 and 2013, she was nominated for the Nurse Excellence Award at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and she has served as president of the Southern Wisconsin Chapter of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). She also completed the Maternal Child Health Leadership Academy, supported by Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) nursing honor society.

Esser has contributed to research in neonatal skin care nationally, including two scientific studies she presented at the 2014 NANN Conference: “Neonatal Skin Care with a Focus on Diaper Dermatitis: Creating and Implementing a Successful Policy Revision” and “That Poor Little Bum! The Trials and Tribulations of Diaper Dermatitis.”

Esser earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Alverno College and a Master of Science in nursing from Stony Brook University. She is currently a Nursing PhD candidate at the University of Phoenix and will begin education for wound and ostomy certification with Web WOCN Nurse.

Kelli Kelley,

Founder & Executive Director, Hand to Hold, Austin, Texas

As the mother of two children born preterm, Kelli Kelley was inspired by her experience to create Hand to Hold, a national nonprofit organization that strives to fill the service gap that exists for families who have had a child in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or who have experienced a loss by providing ongoing support, education and navigation resources.

Kelley is frequently sought out as a speaker and has led keynotes at several national conferences, where she has addressed a range of topics including preterm birth, the high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression among parents of preterm infants, and the need for support and navigation resources for all NICU families.

Kelley serves on the steering committee for the National Coalition for Infant Health and is also a member of the leadership team for the Preemie Parent Alliance, a national organization of preemie parent leaders. She serves as a spokesperson for the National Perinatal Association’s (NPA) Psychosocial Support Guidelines for NICU Families. Previously she served as the parent liaison and spokesperson for the NPA’s Multidisciplinary Guidelines for the Care of Late-Preterm Infants and on the review committee for the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) Discharge Planning Module in 2013.

Kelley was named a 2015 Communicator of the Year from Women Communicators of Austin, a 2011 Local Hero by Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative® and a 2011 Health Care Hero through the Austin Business Journal. She is the 2010 recipient of the Austin Under 40 Award for Medical and Health Care, an ENERGIZER Keep Going Hall of Fame Semifinalist and recipient of the Small Business Award from Austin Woman magazine.

Early in her career, Kelley worked in public relations, receiving numerous promotions and awards for her leadership and accomplishments.

Kelley earned a Bachelor of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and participates in the National Charity League.

Joanne Kuller,

RN, MS, Neonatal Clinical Nurse Specialist, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, Oakland, California

Joanne Kuller is a neonatal clinical nurse specialist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. She also is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Neonatal Skin Care Evidence-based Guideline development team, and was a contributor to all three editions of the Guidelines, targeted to obstetric and neonatal nurses caring for newborns.

Kuller earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing from Villanova University and her Master of Science in neonatal nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She has written numerous articles and book chapters on neonatal skin, and has been involved in research on the effects of adhesives, phototherapy and the first bath on neonatal skin. She is a member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), the Northern California Association of Neonatal Nurses (NCANN), the Academy of Neonatal Nurses and Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) nursing honor society.

Sue Ludwig,

OTR/L, Founder & President, National Association of Neonatal Therapists, Cincinnati, Ohio

Sue Ludwig is passionate about improving quality of life for infants who begin their journey in the NICU. She is President and Founder of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) where she uses a unique blend of clinical expertise, innovation and leadership skills to support the advancement of this specialized field on a global level.

Sue is also Co-Founder of Infant-Driven Feeding® created to advance oral feeding practice in the NICU. Sue practiced as a neonatal occupational therapist at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for over 20 years.

She received the Laura Edmunds Lectureship Award from UMass Memorial Medical Center and was awarded the Individual Contribution to Maternal & Child Health by the National Perinatal Association. She is the media expert in neonatal therapy for the American Occupational Therapy Association. Sue is a sought-after speaker, consultant, writer and educator. She is also a published author and poet. She is driven to improve the culture of healthcare, armed with decades of experience speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Debianne Peterman,

PhD, MSN, RNC-NIC, NE-BC, Vice President, Clinical Education and Professional Development, TriStar Health, Brentwood, Tennessee

Debianne Peterman is currently the vice president of clinical education and development of TriStar Health where she has led the development of strategies to advance clinical performance for the past year. In her previous role, Peterman focused on advancing Women’s and Obstetrics clinical programs and services at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) where she served as an expert consultant on women’s services to provide delivery of optimal quality patient care as defined by national and state standards, and evidence-based practice. She also ensured compliance with national and state regulations, quality metrics, data integrity and research initiatives that produce optimal quality outcomes and performance for all women’s programs.

Peterman has more than 20 years of experience in nursing and clinical operations, including her role as vice president and chief nursing officer for the Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute. Previously, she served as the chief nursing executive for Matria Healthcare, overseeing 3,500 nurses nationally. She has served as adjunct faculty at Vanderbilt, Emory, and Georgia State University Schools of Nursing, respectively, and served as chair of the College of Health and Human Services Advisory Board at Georgia State University from 1996 to 2012. From 2011 to 2013, she was elected as a member of the National Board of Directors for the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD).

She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing and a PhD in nursing from Georgia State University. She also received a Master of Science in nursing from Emory University, where she majored in neonatal and perinatal nursing.