ANA-Illinois Professional Issues Conference

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Location
Courtyard Banquets
3S200 Route 59
Warrenville, Illinois 60555

Date
09.12.2026

Time
8:00 am - 5:00 pm


ANA-Illinois 2026 Professional Issues Conference

The one-day conference will be held on September 12, 2026, in Warrenville, Illinois.

Timely and Thought-Provoking Sessions

The 2026 Professional Issues Conference will focus on the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics and its role in guiding nursing practice, leadership, and advocacy.

As nurses are called to uphold the Code of Ethics in all aspects of their work, both inside and outside their organizations as it is essential that we continue to deepen our understanding of how ethical principles shape professional conduct, decision-making, and public trust in the nursing profession.

This year’s conference will explore how nurses can apply the Code of Ethics with integrity, courage, and compassion, particularly in complex and evolving healthcare environments. We welcome submissions that offer practical guidance, real-world examples, and thoughtful dialogue that helps nurses translate ethical principles into meaningful action.

Kicking off the event, opening session speaker, Dr. Lorena B. Smith, DNP, MSN-L, BSN, RN, LNC will present “Courage in Action: An Interactive Exploration of Ethics, Conflict, and Leadership in Nursing”. The objective of this presentation is to equip participants with practical strategies and communication skills to confidently apply ethical principles, demonstrate moral courage, and lead effectively in complex, high-pressure healthcare environments.

Our closing keynote session will be presented by Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine, PhD RN. 

Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine, PhD RN (she/her) is an Arab disabled queer woman, health humanities nurse scientist, disability justice scholar-activist, and spoken word poet. Dr. Jamal-Eddine completed her PhD in Nursing with a certificate in Disability Ethics at University of Illinois Chicago where her doctoral research explored the use of spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s goal is to create transformative change within nursing education and practice through developing engaging decolonial pedagogic strategies, community-based interventions, and transformative policies rooted in the lived experiences of multiply marginalized disabled people. Dr. Jamal-Eddine simultaneously investigates the ways in which unjust systems of oppression manufacture disability, both domestically and transnationally. Her long-term goal is to found an applied public-humanities / community-engaged healthcare equity center in a university that confronts healthcare inequity, violence, and oppression and promotes liberation, humanization, and belongingness for all marginalized patients, students, and practitioners.

Sabrina has performed a spoken word TEDxTalk on her experience with Xenophobia and Islamophobia.

Other sessions include:

  • Principle to Practice: Making the Code of Ethics Actionable in Everyday Nursing
  • The Ethical Responsibility to Lead: Why Nurses Must Move Beyond the Bedside
  • Nurses SHIFT Change: Applying the ANA Code of Ethics Through Humanity, Ethics, Social Justice, and Science

This event offers 5.0 CE credits to attendees.
Accreditation Info: Illinois Nurses Foundation is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Montana Nurses Association, an accredited approver with distinction by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Hotels Near the Professional Issues Conference Venue:

Hotel Arista
2139 City Gate Ln, Naperville, IL 60563•(630) 579-4100

Tru by Hilton Naperville Chicago
1809 West Diehl Rd Naperville, Illinois 60563 USA +1 630-305-8905

Fairfield Inn & Suites Chicago Naperville/Aurora
1847 W Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563•(630) 548-0966

Hilton Garden Inn Naperville/Warrenville
28351 Dodge Dr, Warrenville, IL 60555•(630) 393-3223

Hyatt House Chicago/Naperville/Warrenville
27554 Maecliff Dr, Warrenville, IL 60555•(630) 836-2960

Red Roof PLUS+ Chicago – Naperville
1698 W Diehl Rd, Naperville, IL 60563•(603) 318-2075

Interested in attending both The Nurse Educational Summit and Professional Issues Conference? Bundle and save $25 by reaching out to Kristy Dugan-Melia at kristy@sysconsultingsolutions.com for a discount code. 

REGISTER TODAY