New NJSNA President Keeps Focus on COVID Crisis

The New Jersey State Nurses Association (NJSNA) welcomed Mary Ellen Levine, DNP, MSN, RN, CHPN, as its 48th president on New Year’s Day.

“These are challenging times for nurses, yet our primary role and mission remains clear—to advocate for the health and well-being of our patients and the public,” Levine said. “We are advocates, educators and leaders who promote health and proponents for system-wide improvements through policy reform, community-building and health promotion. I am honored to lead New Jersey’s nurses at this critical time. Now more than ever, the need for nurses has never been greater. I look forward to acting on key legislative matters and addressing the evolving needs of our society amid the coronavirus public health crisis.”

With more than 30 years of nursing experience in a variety of settings—acute care hospital, home care, school nursing and hospice care—Levine is an adjunct professor of community health and adult medical/surgical nursing at William Paterson University. Levine has extensive experience teaching in the classroom, clinical experience and simulation lab for community health, fundamental and health assessment courses, as well as a healthcare ethics course.

Levine earned a doctorate in nursing practice from William Paterson University, a master’s degree in the science of nursing education from Walden University, a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Dominican College and an associate degree in nursing from Bergen Community College. She also earned a school nurse/health educator certificate from Caldwell College (now Caldwell University) and is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse through the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC). Levine’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program project is titled, “Palliative Care Self-Competence: An Examination of Registered Nurses in the Acute Care Hospital During the COVID-19 Pandemic.”