AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSING
Roles and Responsibilities of Expert Panels
(Revised February 2015)
Goal: The goal of this policy is to articulate the roles and responsibilities of the Expert
Panels; to outline the scope and responsibility of the Expert Panel chairs, Board liaisons and
AAN staff in supporting the work of the Expert Panels; and to provide guidelines for the
Expert Panels in conducting their work.
Overview
Expert Panels are a key working group of the Academy. The Expert Panel structure was developed
to provide a mechanism for Fellows, with expertise in specific areas, to meet and work together in
advancing the mission of the Academy and, thus, transform health policy and practice.
Expert Panels utilize their critical knowledge, analytical skills and networks to review the current
research and issues within their field, to take action as appropriate in addressing key issues, and to
make recommendations on projects and/or initiatives the Academy should undertake to transform
health policy and practice. The Expert Panels are intended to provide a flexible and efficient
mechanism by which Fellows may address emerging issues within the nursing profession and
concerns for the health of the public on behalf of the Academy.
The primary goals of this work are to:
 support the mission and strategic priorities of the Academy;
 identify and explore trends and issues important to health care delivery and policy;
 provide expert opinion on issues critical to the provision of health care and the well-being
of the American people;
 recommend actions to the Board of Directors and the Fellowship; and
 prepare Board approved and/or requested products and documents to enable the Academy
to achieve its mission.
Policy
Expert Panels are expected to leverage their expertise in developing outcomes that provide the
critical knowledge, and analysis, summary, and integration for transforming health care policy and
practice. These may take the form of project proposals, testimony, manuscripts, white papers,
recommendations, advocacy papers, policy statements, position papers, and research agendas.
These initiatives must support the mission of the Academy and Board designated priorities. Any
initiatives that have monetary requirements, either funding to the Expert Panel related to an
initiative or may require resources from the Academy, require Board review and approval.
Because of the wide range of areas and topics that the Expert Panels represent, Expert Panel
members are to use caution and care when conveying views or opinions and make it clear when they
are, and when they are not, speaking on behalf of the Academy (i.e., how to represent one’s own
views versus AAN views). Any communication intended to represent an official view or position of
the AAN Expert Panel must be vetted by the Board and receive official Board (or membership)
approval prior to release.
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Authorship of policy products published on the Academy journal’s policy pages is understood to be
the Academy; the expert panel and specific authors are acknowledged in the acknowledgement
section of the policy product.
Expert Panels are encouraged to nominate their members for individual service on groups
developing policies, standards and competencies, and to provide professional review of, and
commentary on, the standards and competencies as they are developed. This limitation to Expert
Panel scope stems from AAN’s support of the APRN Joint Dialogue Group Report of 2008 which
addresses advanced practice nurse education and credentialing, but the spirit of which has been
more broadly adopted.
Similarly, Expert Panel members as individuals may contribute to and advise on the development of
educational policy and curriculum, but should limit their role to collaborating with and supporting
the efforts of other organizations whose missions are explicit in addressing their educationallyfocused responsibilities. Expert Panels are encouraged to nominate their experts for service on
educationally-focused groups, and to provide professional review and commentary on materials that
they develop.
Expert Panels on behalf of the Academy may be positioned to establish partnerships/linkages with
other health policy organizations, and consumer groups with missions consistent with that of the
Academy.. These relationships should be established in collaboration with the Board to ensure
goodness of fit, and limit overlap with other activities. It is understood that votes to support policy
positions must be approved by the Board.
However, if an Expert Panel wishes to become a member of a coalition or professional organization,
the Expert Panel must obtain approval from the AAN Board of Directors. The Academy holds a
tax-exempt status as a 501 (c)(3) organization, placing limits on the activities in which the
organization and its subgroups can engage, including the amount and nature of lobbying activities.
Furthermore, the AAN must have knowledge of the groups with whom it is collaborating to assure
congruence between mission and policies.
Expert Panel Roles
Expert Panel Members
Expert Panels should be comprised of experts in the particular focus area, and include, as much as
possible, a combination of Fellows with complementary work experience (e.g., administrators,
academicians, policy and clinical practice experts).
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Interested Fellows have the opportunity to participate in an Expert Panel. Interested
Fellows who have relevant expertise and a willingness to do the work required of the Expert
Panel submit a Commitment to Serve application to the Expert Panel chair, and indicate
their intent to actively participate.
The Expert Panel Chair will receive the Commitment to Serve application, and make a
determination that the Fellow has relevant experience in the area of focus of the Expert Panel and a
commitment to participation The Chair will inform the Staff Liaison of the Fellow’s appointment to
the Expert Panel so that the name and contact information can be added to the Expert Panel
membership list. Expert Panel members may agree to appoint and invite consultants to their Panel
who are non-Academy Fellows or non-nurses, assuming their participation is budget neutral, their
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expertise is not available within the Academy, and participation furthers the mission of the
Academy.
The work of the Expert Panels is vital to the Academy’s ability to shape health care and health care
reform. In turn, participation in an Expert Panel offers the Fellow a number of benefits:
participation in a national network of experts in their field; listing in a data base and as part of the
Expert Panel mailing list; invitations to represent the Academy in key initiatives and events; giving
expert testimony on behalf of nursing and/or their particular area of expertise; and serving as Expert
Panel chair.
Expert Panel Chair
Each expert panel must have one lead co-chair and a co-chair, recommended to the Board by a
majority vote of the expert panel membership. The terms of the co-chairs are staggered and limited
to two years in each role. The AAN President and President-elect will consult with current Expert
Panel chairs regarding chair succession planning and terms of appointment. A third co-chair may be
recommended as a co-chair appointee to become familiar with roles of the co-chairs.
The lead co-chair should:
 initiate and communicate with the Expert Panel members on regularly scheduled calls;
 coordinate and advance the policy work of the Expert Panel;
 develop the Expert Panel budget within guidelines;
 serve as the main communication link with the Board, communicating with the Board liaison
at least three times a year (coinciding with planned Board meetings), and with the AAN staff,
as needed;
 prepare and submit annual action plan and reports to the AAN Board, as requested;
 keep the Board liaison informed of any issues affecting Expert Panel performance;
 manage and facilitate any Expert Panel meetings and conference calls;
 plan, attend and host their Expert Panel’s meeting at the AAN Policy Conference;
 serve as a resource to the President and CEO in identifying Expert Panel resources for
special assignments and opportunities.
The co-chair serves as an assistant to the chair, sharing the work of the lead co-chair and being
mentored to assume the lead co-chair role.
AAN Board Liaison to the Expert Panel
In order for the Expert Panels to successfully further the mission and strategic priorities of the
Academy, the AAN Board must be engaged in the work of the Expert Panels and provide guidance
and support to these groups of experts. To accomplish this, the AAN President will appoint AAN
Board members to serve as the AAN Board liaison. Each Board liaison to an Expert Panel is
expected to:
 serve as the primary contact between the Academy and the Expert Panel;
 serve as a resource to the Expert Panel chair;
 attend Expert Panel meetings at the AAN Annual Meeting & Conference;
 engage in communication with the Expert Panel, e.g., email, discussion groups and/or
conference calls;
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review Expert Panel reports to the Board and be prepared to represent Expert Panel ideas
and issues to the Board;
communicate Board decisions regarding motions/requests from the Expert Panel;
articulate the AAN mission and strategic priorities to the Expert Panel;
review Expert Panel activities to assure that they do not conflict with existing AAN policies
and positions;
engage in the development and approval process for Expert Panel products/initiatives; and
review the Expert Panel’s budget so that products and/or initiatives are within budget.
If co-chairs find that their Board liaison is unresponsive or that they need support beyond that of
the Board liaison, requests should be directed to either the AAN CEO and/or to the AAN
President.
AAN Staff Liaison to the Expert Panel
Each Expert Panel will also be assigned an AAN staff liaison. The Board liaison will be the primary
link between AAN and the Expert Panel while the AAN staff liaison serves as the point person on
the AAN staff to answer questions that the Board liaison or Expert Panel chairs may have regarding
operations and AAN resources, and to smooth logistical challenges to the Expert Panel’s work.
AAN does not budget for AAN staff to serve as “staff” to an Expert Panel. If an Expert Panel
desires to take on a project or initiative that will require staff support, this must be approved by the
CEO.
Expert Panel Formation
New Expert Panels may be proposed by Fellows or the Board of Directors as follows:
 The Board may initiate the formation of a new Expert Panel to enhance the AAN mission
and achieve its strategic priorities.
 Fellows may initiate the formation of a new Expert Panel by writing to the AAN President,
outlining how the establishment of an Expert Panel will further the AAN mission and which
strategic priority(ies) the new Expert Panel will address. In addition, the letter should
comment on: 1) the nursing and health care focus that is compelling for transforming health
care policy and practice through nursing knowledge, 2) other groups both within and outside
nursing involved with the issue, and 3) initial potential activities, initiatives or products.
 Request letters for new Expert Panel formation will be reviewed by the AAN Board of
Directors at its next Board meeting with a response by the AAN President within the
following three weeks. Letters should be sent to the President at least four weeks before the
next meeting.
 Decisions are generally based on the congruence of the Expert Panel’s scope with AAN
strategic directions, the scope of existing active Expert Panels and budget considerations.
OTHER WAYS FOR FELLOWS TO BE ENGAGED
While Expert Panels are an important group within the Academy, they are not the only way in which
Fellows can be engaged in the work of the Academy. Listed here are a few of the other ways in
which Fellows may be involved. Because of the dynamic nature of health care, opportunities are
emerging at a steady pace. Fellows are also invited to suggest ways to the Board of Directors
through which they can further the goals of the Academy.
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Special Interest Groups
As initiated by a group of Fellows or the Board of Directors, informal information exchange can
occur on specific issues in the format of Special Interest Group (SIG). These meetings/calls will be
arranged, facilitated, and funded by the Fellows/volunteer leaders.
These informal discussions are not required to create any specific outcomes. The AAN budget does
not provide financial or staff support to SIGs. Over time, a SIG can pursue Expert Panel status.
Task Forces
On occasion, task forces will need to be formed to address targeted issues in a time-limited way. If
the Board identifies the need for a Task Force to be convened, the President will consult with AAN
Board members and chairs of relevant Expert Panels for suggestions for task force leadership and
membership.
If an Expert Panel or group of Fellows recommends the creation of a Task Force for a specific
purpose, the chair or Fellow should write to the President, outlining the purpose of the Task Force,
its relevance to AAN strategic priorities, and suggested leadership and membership. The President
will review this with the AAN Board and the group will make a decision. The charge to the Task
Force, with deliverables and timeline, will be sent to the Task Force from the Board. A Board
liaison will be identified. The report from the Task Force will be directed to the Board when the
task is completed and within the designated timeline.
Webinars and other Electronic Strategies
The Academy will be increasing its use of electronic and other communication strategies to update
Fellows on specific initiatives and events. One example that we will be exploring is the use of
webinars or phone-in options by which Expert Panels could perhaps rotate in hosting and updating
all interested Fellows on what’s happening within a particular area, e.g., informatics, quality and
safety. In this way, Fellows can stay informed and involved on topics without being a member of
the Expert Panel.
Testimony, Appointment to Commissions and Committees
Increasingly, the Academy is being invited to identify Fellows who can participate in important
representative opportunities. Where the area of focus relates to the work of an Expert Panel, the
President will work with the Expert Panel chair to identify someone with the necessary expertise.
However, many requests come in that aren’t necessarily linked to the work of an Expert Panel. In
those situations, the President will utilize networks within the Academy and/or email blasts to
identify interested Fellows.
Guidelines for Expert Panels in Conducting their Work on behalf of the Academy
Work of the Expert Panels
To maximally benefit from the wisdom, connections and background of Expert Panel members, the
Board requests that the Expert Panels assist in the following work on behalf of the Academy:
 identifying key issues in their area of focus;
 developing a focus for action that outlines key priorities and outcomes to be achieved by the
Expert Panel, updating it as needed;
 developing and/or updating position papers on critical topics;
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advancing recommendations to the Board on actions that the Academy should take to
provide leadership, influence, endorsement and/or support;
identifying influential individuals, groups and organizations in the focus area with which
they are partnering, or with whom the Academy should better connect;
amplifying the work of the Academy in professional circles in which Expert Panel members
engage; and
using the quarterly updates, and annual report, to report on the above activities.
Development of Expert Panel Budgets
Expert Panels may request up to $750 per year to achieve their specific objectives. The request
should indicate the purpose of the activity, what specifically the funds will cover, the timeline,
anticipated expenses and revenue, if applicable. It also should clearly identify requests for use of
AAN resources, such as staff time for website work, blast emails. Examples of acceptable expenses
are conference calls, photocopying, postage, audiovisual needs for webinars, speakers for Expert
Panel meetings, etc. The request should be sent to the Academy CEO who will forward to the
Executive Committee for review and approval.
Expert Panels may request additional funding over $750. In this instance, the motion/request must
be submitted through the Board Liaison. Adequate time is required for the Board to receive and
review these requests; four weeks is the requested time unless the situation is particularly timesensitive. The Board Liaison will notify the Expert Panel chair of the Board decision.
Requests for funding over $750.00 should be submitted with the Expert Panel’s plan to identify
external funding. AAN staff and resources may be designated by the AAN Board to assist with
some of the Expert Panel requests. Expert Panels must include this in their request so the impact
on AAN staff resources can be estimated.
Developing Specific Products and/or Initiatives
The Expert Panel will develop a proposal that specifies the products and/or initiatives it wishes to
produce on behalf of the Academy. This proposal will be submitted by the co-chairs to the
respective Board Liaison and staff liaison for Board review and refinement prior to submission to
the full Board for approval. The one-page proposal for a policy product will include:
 description of the project/initiative;
 project/initiative goals;
 timeline;
 target audience for the project/initiative;
 preliminary recommendations; and
 preliminary distribution plan;
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The one-page proposal for a new initiative also will include:
 financial/resource impact statement and draft budget; and
 plan for acquiring identified resources.
After submission of a request, the Board Liaison will inform the Expert Panel co-chairs of the
Board’s decision. For time sensitive products, such as testimony to Congress and/or Secretary’s
Advisory Committee’s the Expert Panel chair should communicate directly with the Board Liaison
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or AAN President, highlighting the time sensitive nature of the request. While these requests often
happen with little notice, it is important to consider the time needed for Board approval. Ideally, a
minimum a two weeks is needed to obtain Board approval for these kinds of requests. Depending
on the availability of the Board members, there are times that approval can be obtained with less
lead time.
Academy Position Papers Developed by the Expert Panels
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Printed (electronic or hard copy) materials are one category of product that the Expert Panel
may decide to pursue or be asked to develop. This would include documents such as:
advocacy papers; policy statements; position papers; research agendas, calls to action, etc.
All of these must be submitted to the AAN Board Liaison for initial review to ensure that
the following criteria is met and the policy product is relevant to the work of the Academy:
primary focus or thesis of the paper is clear; all content in the paper is relevant to the thesis;
paper demonstrates a thorough and thoughtful review of the relevant literature;
recommendations include a focus on policy and are clear and specific;
paper flows well and is clearly written.
The Board Liaison can request an eternal review by a fellow or other person with expertise in the
area. Expert Panels will need to discuss their planned distribution of the document with the Board
Liaison and Staff Liaison prior to approval by the Board. Once a document is approved by the
Board, the distribution of the document will be coordinated with AAN staff and the Expert Panels.
The methods of distribution of a document will be determined by the type of document.
Publication of Manuscripts, including in Nursing Outlook
Expert panels, on occasion, have written manuscripts that have received approval by the Board for
publication. If a manuscript is approved by the Board for submission for publication, there are a
variety of journals where the Expert Panel may choose to submit the manuscript. All
publications/printed materials submitted/disseminated by the Expert Panel, or on behalf of
an Expert Panel, must first have the consensus of that Panel and must be submitted through
the Expert Panel chair to the Board for approval via the Board liaison.
Authorship of policy products published on the Academy journal’s Policy Pages is understood to be
the Academy; the expert panel and specific authors are acknowledged in the acknowledgement
section of the policy product.
Manuscripts authored by the Expert Panel, or by named individuals noting “on behalf of the XXExpert Panel” in the author designation, may be submitted for journal-established peer review
including Nursing Outlook after Board approval. While Nursing Outlook is the official publication of
the Academy, the Board of Directors does not have editorial control over the content of the journal.
Therefore, if the Expert Panel wishes to pursue publication in a journal including Nursing Outlook,
the manuscript will need to be submitted as required by the journal after Board approval. Content
may be requested for publication in the Academy pages of Nursing Outlook. The Academy requires
that manuscripts and policy documents obtain the consensus approval of the Expert Panel prior to
the manuscript or other paper’s presentation or submission for publication with the
acknowledgement.
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Timelines
Upon consensus approval of the policy product by the Expert Panel,, the co-chairs should send the
manuscripts, policy brief, or call to action to the board liaison and staff liaison at least two weeks
prior to the next Board of Directors meeting. The board action will be communicated by the Board
Liaison to the co-chairs within one week with a copy to the staff liaison. It is the responsibility of
the co-chairs to communicate the completion of the document for further board review.
Use of Board Approved Papers
Once a document is submitted and approved by the Board, the Expert Panel should work with the
Board liaison and staff liaison to maintain clear and updated communication on where the document
is used and/or published. It is important that material is cited as the formal work of the Expert
Panel as approved by the AAN Board of Directors. Any subsequent alterations to the Board
approved document may warrant Board review if the changes alter the position or the arguments
advanced in the document.
Official Representation of AAN at Meetings
The chair of the an Expert Panel, or a member, may receive an invitation to participate in
workshops, conferences, think tanks, continuing professional development sessions or other
gatherings of experts independent of the AAN Annual Meeting and Conference. If the request is
for an official representative of AAN, the request should be forwarded to the AAN President or
Academy CEO so that AAN can determine the best participant for this opportunity. If there is an
opportunity to communicate the work of the Expert Panel and the Academy, the individual should
indicate which comments represent expert consensus and which views are Academy held positions.
AAN will not fund representation at such gatherings unless it is part of the approved AAN budget
and the person is formally representing the Academy. If a Fellow is invited to represent the
Academy and is already planning to attend a meeting as part of their professional work, discussion
should be held with the AAN President re: possible funding support from the Academy. In all
cases, if reimbursement for meeting attendance is to be requested, it should be approved prior to the
meeting.
Expert Panel Hosting of Meeting
One of the products/initiatives of the Expert Panel may be hosting a meeting or sending an Expert
Panel representative to a meeting. As with papers, these requests should be submitted via the Expert
Panel Board liaison.
Expert Panel Sustainability
Productivity of the Expert Panels will be assessed through review of Expert Panel updates to the
Board, input from the Board Liaison, and visibility of Expert Panel activities and products.
The Board may request the termination or merging of Expert Panels based on productivity and
alignment with strategic directions. An example would be if an expert panel does not produce any
outcome(s) that support the mission of the Academy within a two-year timeframe.
Expert panels may choose to disband and/or become a special interest group. Such a decision
should be communicated via a letter to the AAN Board by the Expert Panel lead co-chair.
Rev 2/15
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