Dina Velocci Begins Term as President of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology

PARK RIDGE, Ill. (AANA)--Dina Velocci, DNP, CRNA, APRN, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), recently took office as the 2021-2022 president of the 59,000-member American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), headquartered in Park Ridge, Ill.

"It is my honor and a privilege to serve as president of the AANA in this watershed year, in which CRNAs continue to prove that they are indispensable to America's healthcare system and provide courageous, compassionate care wherever they are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic,"said Velocci. "At a time of drastic and unrelenting change, we anticipate that CRNAs will be asked to do more, and we know that we can do more. It is my goal to engage and educate industry stakeholders, to ensure that they understand the value of CRNAs as vital to patient care in America."

Velocci has long been active in nurse anesthesiology, spanning 18 years as a CRNA and 14 years as a clinical and didactic instructor for nurse anesthetists. She supplied anesthesia services for office-based practices and free-standing surgery centers. She is also an innovator and entrepreneur and assisted in building and marketing an interactive web-based learning resource for CRNAs. Velocci is also invested in community revitalization projects in Baldwin, Mich., in partnership with Paul Santoro, MS CRNA, and the Michigan Economic Development Cooperation.

Throughout her career in nurse anesthesiology, Velocci served on committees, advisory panels, and boards of directors at the state and national levels. She is a former president of the Tennessee Association of Nurse Anesthetists, and, most recently, president-elect of the AANA.

With more than 25 years of experience in clinically focused advanced practice nursing, Velocci has also had extensive success as a healthcare business leader, with a proven track record of revitalizing organizations. She has 14 years' experience as an adjunct professor/education specialist, striving to create a challenging and engaging learning environment in which students become life-long scholars and learners.

An AANA member since 2002, she earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, Tenn.; her Master of Science degree, Focus in Nurse Anesthesia, from Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia, Nashville, Tenn.; and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tenn. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Central Florida, Orlando, Fla.