Dr. April Kapu is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 30 years in the field, including 18 years as an acute care nurse practitioner. She is the immediate past president for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the largest member organization for NPs in the U.S. Dr. Kapu is the Associate Dean for Strategic Partnerships and Global Affairs at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to her current roles, she served as an associate chief nursing officer for advanced practice at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she established advanced practice infrastructure and expanded advanced practice models of care across the health system. Dr. Kapu is frequently consulted for her expertise in advanced practice leadership and has presented in many national and international forums, authored chapters in advanced practice nursing textbooks and published manuscripts in numerous peer-reviewed medical and nursing journals. She holds several professional roles including Fellow for the Society of Critical Care Medicine, Fellow for AANP, and Fellow for the American Academy of Nursing. Dr. Kapu has received several awards including Vanderbilt’s "Transformational Nurse Leader of the Year", Tennessee Hospital Association’s "Nurse of Clinical Distinction" and nationally, Modern Healthcare’s "2022 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives". She holds both a master’s and doctoral degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing.