Mary Jean Schumann is an associate professor in the Policy, Populations and Systems Community and a core faculty member of the GW Nursing Center for Health Policy and Media Engagement. She previously served at The American Nurses Association from 2001-2010, first as the Director, Nursing Practice and Policy, and more recently as the Chief Programs Officer. As Chief Programs Officer, she had oversight for the work of Government Affairs, Practice and Policy, Occupational and Environmental Health, Ethics and Human Rights, Continuing Education, the National Center for Nursing Quality, and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. Dr. Schumann has served in other leadership roles as Executive Director of the national Pediatric Nurses Certification Board and the National Organization for Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention.

Dr. Schumann also consults on issues relative to nurses and health care policy, advanced practice nursing, quality and patient engagement, quality measurement, including pediatric pain and pediatric issues. Prior to moving to the DC Metropolitan area, Ms. Schumann managed Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) college health center, directed all nursing services for a small community hospital, and served as a nurse manager for the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ambulatory Care Administration.

Dr. Schumann has taught pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin (UW-Madison) and at EMU. She started her career at the UW-Madison as a staff nurse for both a cardiovascular surgical ICU and a pediatric unit. She is a nationally certified pediatric nurse practitioner. Ms. Schumann maintained a clinical practice until 2006 as a hospice nurse in addition to her regular duties. Dr. Schumann co-authored a 2008 book with Dr. Margretta Styles, Kathi White and Carol Bickford, called Specialization and Credentialing in Nursing Revisited.