PHILADELPHIA, May 29, 2025 – The TruMerit™ (formerly CGFNS International) Global Health Workforce Development Institute, a center of knowledge and excellence for health worker career advancement and mobility, has appointed four accomplished healthcare leaders as Senior Fellows.
Senior Fellows provide the Institute with strategic counsel on TruMerit initiatives and product evolutions, as well as guidance on connections, grants, and other opportunities within the broader healthcare community in their regions and globally.
“Our Senior Fellows are exceptional scholars and accomplished leaders whose career achievements have significantly altered the landscape in healthcare. We value their strategic guidance as we press forward with practical health workforce solutions for populations across the world,” said Dr. Julia To Dutka, Chief of the Institute.
The newly appointed fellows are:
- Aysha Ali Ahmed Abdulla Almahri, RN, a nurse leader and healthcare executive who is the former President of the Emirates Nursing Association in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ms. Al Mahri is Chief Executive Officer for Network Group of Burjeel Hospitals in the UAE. She led the UAE’s National Nursing Attraction Initiative, which strengthened the country’s nursing workforce and elevated the role of nurses within the healthcare system. She was the first International Fellow of the American College of Health Data Management and also the first nominee from the Middle East to receive the Change Agent Award from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). In 2024, she was recognized by Arabian Business magazine as among its Top 20 Women Leaders. Celebrated as an Emirati Woman Achiever by StarAD, she was honored as a pioneering figure in the region.
- Kathleen C. Yosko, PhD, RN, LNHA, a Chicago-based healthcare executive and recognized expert in the delivery of post-acute care health services.
Dr. Yosko is an innovative strategist and skilled in collaborating and executing business ventures and management contracts between hospitals and health systems. With a background as an RN, clinical specialist, and nursing home administrator, she led the financial turnaround of two Chicago area hospitals where she served as President and CEO. She served on the board of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) and provided stewardship to the organization.
- Alessandro Stievano, PhD, MNursSci, MSoc, MEd, FAAN, FEANS, FESNO, FFNMRCSI, FTNSS, a professor and widely published expert in nursing science and ethics.
Dr. Stievano is the research coordinator of the Centre of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship of OPI Rome, which is Italy’s regulatory authority for the nursing professions. It is one of the first such centers to be set up in Europe and has funded more than 400 educational and research projects since its inception in 2010. Dr. Stievano is published on a national and international level on professional and policy issues in nursing and health professions, nursing ethics, and transcultural nursing. He is a fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the European Academy of Nursing Science.
- Alfred G. Bracciano, MSA, EdD, OTR/L, CPAM, FAOTA, an internationally recognized educator and expert in occupational therapy regulation and physical agent modalities.
Dr. Bracciano is the professor of occupational therapy at Creighton University and Academic Coordinator of the Alaska Distance Pathway at the University of Alaska Anchorage, a nationally recognized program addressing rural and Indigenous healthcare workforce shortages. A global leader in rehabilitation education, he co-founded the Physical Agent Modalities Certification Agency and helped shape national licensing policies through his work with AOTA and the U.S. Department of Defense. He has held academic appointments in China and South Korea, and his research has focused on workforce development, global rehabilitation credentialing, and neurorehabilitation interventions. He currently chairs the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Licensing Board.
About TruMerit
TruMerit is a worldwide leader in healthcare workforce development. Formerly known as CGFNS International, the organization has a nearly 50-year history supporting the career mobility of nurses and other healthcare workers—and those who license and hire them—by validating their education, skills, and experience as they seek authorization to practice in the United States and other countries. As TruMerit, this mission has been expanded to building workforce capacity that meets the needs of people in a rapidly evolving global health landscape. Through its Global Health Workforce Development Institute, the organization is advancing evidence-based research, thought leadership, and advocacy in support of healthcare workforce development solutions, including globally recognized practice standards and certifications that will enhance career pathways for healthcare workers.