NANN & AWHONN Journal Club
-
Purchase
- Non-member - Free!
- Member - Free!
Welcome to the NANN & AWHONN Journal Club!
The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) are teaming up to launch a Journal Club built for the entire perinatal and neonatal care team. Starting October 1st, this free program gives clinicians a space to dig into current research together, ask questions, and hear directly from the people who conducted the studies.
Each Journal Club cycle centers on a featured article and includes:
A digital discussion board where participants can share perspectives, ask questions, and connect with colleagues around the country
A live webinar featuring the article's authors, offering a direct look at the research and the chance to ask questions in real time
Continuing education credit for participation
Who can join:
The Journal Club is open to everyone regardless of NANN or AWHONN membership status. There is no cost to participate. All you need is a free NANN account.
CE Credit Information:
Participants can earn 0.5-2 contact hours by completing discussion posts, passing a knowledge check, participating in the live webinar, and completing the evaluation for each module.
The National Association of Neonatal Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Access Information:
Once you enroll in this product, you will have access to current and future articles the Journal Club discusses. Article cycles are quarterly. You will receive email reminders when a cycle ends and a new one begins.
DIGITAL PRODUCT
Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Task Force
In 2025, the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) joined forces to address neonatal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Together, the organizations convened a 15-member Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality Task Force composed of neonatal nursing experts from across the country.
The task force conducted a comprehensive review of current literature, data, and evidence-based practices to identify strategies that can improve neonatal health outcomes nationwide. Guided by the realities of infant and neonatal mortality in the United States, the group developed recommendations focused on reducing preventable morbidity and mortality and advancing health equity for neonates and their families.
The task force established six strategic priorities:
1. Improve Access to Care by identifying and promoting effective interventions that increase access to high-quality perinatal and neonatal healthcare services.
2. Address Social Inequities and Racial Disparities by developing solutions that tackle the social, economic, and structural factors contributing to unequal health outcomes.
3. Strengthen Maternal Health through education, resources, and evidence-based practices that support healthy pregnancies, births, and postpartum care.
4. Advance Advocacy and Legislation that promotes equitable access to perinatal and neonatal care, strengthens maternal-infant health programs, and addresses social determinants of health.
5. Foster Community and Industry Partnerships by promoting innovative programs and collaborative initiatives that have demonstrated success in reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality.
6. Disseminate Knowledge and Resources through the creation of a joint national repository to support healthcare professionals and organizations working to improve neonatal outcomes.
Through this collaborative effort, NANN and AWHONN are committed to implementing evidence-based recommendations, advancing health equity, and improving outcomes for the nation's most vulnerable patients and their families.
-
Includes Credits Includes a Live Web Event on 12/03/2026 at 10:00 AM (CST)
Come join the discussion around 'Becoming an Antiracist Neonatal Community' by Ashlee Vance, PhD, MA, RN, RNC-NIC, and Tracey Bell, DNP, ARNP, NNP-BC!
Welcome to the October - December 2026 cycle of the NANN & AWHONN Journal Club! This cycle, we will be discussing the article Becoming an Antiracist Neonatal Community by Ashlee Vance, PhD, MA, RN, RNC-NIC, and Tracey Bell, DNP, ARNP, NNP-BC.
Every nurse who has ever held a struggling newborn knows the ache of wanting better for that baby, and this article asks us to sit with an uncomfortable truth: that for many Black and Brown infants, "better" is still too often out of reach, not because of anything biological, but because of gaps in trust, bias, and care. Vance and Bell invite readers to acknowledge our responsibility, as neonatal nurses, to reduce neonatal inequities. The authors don't ask anyone to feel guilty or have all the answers overnight; instead, they offer a gentle on-ramp toward small, human steps like listening to a colleague's experience or asking a hard question and leaning in, because the same compassion that drew us to neonatal nursing is exactly what's needed to carry this anti-racism work forward.
Learning Outcomes:
Describe at least three documented racial disparities in perinatal/neonatal outcomes (e.g., preterm birth rates, NICU quality, mortality) and identify the social and systemic, rather than biological, factors that drive them.
Apply the Fear Zone/Learning Zone/Growth Zone framework to identify one actionable strategy for addressing implicit bias and promoting antiracist practice within their own NICU setting.Author and Disclosure Information:
Ashlee Vance, PhD, MA, RN, RNC-NIC: no relevant financial relationships to disclose; Tracey Bell, DNP, ARNP, NNP-BC: no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
CE Credit Information:
Participants can earn up to 2 CE by posting comments, completing a short, 5-question quiz, and attending the live webinar discussion of this article.
The National Association of Neonatal Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Access Information:
This article, discussion, and webinar will be available during a three-month cycle (October-December 2026). You can access and earn CE during this cycle. Access will be removed after December 31st, though a PDF of the discussion will be saved for review.
Start Date: 10/1/26
End Date: 12/31/26
An archive of the conversation will be saved for review.
Background: There are pervasive and documented disparities in maternal and infant outcomes related to race and ethnicity. Critical awareness is growing in our current cultural environment about strategies to improve health equity, the need to challenge implicit bias, and to dismantle racism in healthcare to decrease racial health inequities.
Methods: In this article, we provide a summary of health inequities that exist within the perinatal/neonatal population and offer strategies for initiating conversations and improving health equity by challenging bias and increasing diversity.
Results: Transformative leaders must understand the evidence on health disparities, understand the social drivers of inequity, and identify solutions to drive change.
Implications for Practice: With heightened awareness and examination of implicit bias, we can improve care for all infants and their families. Implications for Research: We need to continue research and quality improvement efforts to improve health equity. Furthermore, research is needed that focuses on social determinants of health as drivers of preterm delivery and birth complications, rather than biological (eg, racialized) factors.
The Journal Club is a space to express your opinions on research, writing, and evidence-based content. NANN retains the right to hide offensive, irrelevant, or other comments as we deem fit.
Rules:
1. Your responses must be your own; AI usage is not allowed.
2. No foul language.
3. No offensive comments.
4. No incivility against your fellow club members.
5. Comments must only be relevant to the current article and discussion questions.
800-451.3795
