Mary K. Sullivan, MSN, RNC, CARN, FAAFS

     Mary Sullivan received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Creighton University School of Nursing, Omaha NE and University of Phoenix, Phoenix AZ, respectively. She has 24 years of psychiatric and mental health nursing experience with two national board certifications in Psychiatric / Mental Health Nursing and Addictions Nursing. Sullivan has worked for the Veterans Health Administration for over 21 years with 12 years of collateral assignments in clinical forensic nursing.

     Her clinical forensic assignments include teaching and consulting, nationally and internationally as well as being detailed out to the VA Office of Inspector General for investigations / consultations on suspicious death and adverse patient events.

     She has numerous publications and conference presentations on the application of forensic nursing expertise to front line nursing care to all patient populations and nursing areas, as well as Quality and Risk Management departments, suspicious patient death and adverse patient events, medical evidence management, and investigation of health care providers who murder patients.

     She is responsible for pioneering the national VHA Forensic Nursing initiative in the VHA currently in progress and serves on the Creighton University School of Nursing Alumni Advisory Board as well as on the Phoenix Homeland Defense Bureau. Sullivan has extensive experience in organizing and managing forensic program planning and forensic conference training events.

     Sullivan was awarded the Veterans Health Administration Secretary’s Award for Nursing Excellence in 2003, The Creighton University School of Nursing Alumni Merit Award in 2004 and the International Association of Forensic Nursing (IAFN) 2004 Virginia A Lynch Pioneer Award, forensic nursing’s top honor.

     She has been an instructor for the Forensic Nursing Certificate Program, University of California, Riverside as well as a guest instructor and program advisor for the University of Bari, Italy clinical forensic nursing program.  

    Sullivan is a Fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences as well as being an active member of the IAFN, American Psychiatric Nursing Association and Sigma Theta Tau.