With years of frontline experience in fast-paced emergency departments and a parallel career as a Professor of Nursing, I bridge the gap between clinical practice and academic leadership. My mission is to provide exceptional, evidence-based care while shaping the next generation of nursing professionals. Whether at the bedside or in the classroom, I’m driven by a commitment to critical thinking, compassion, and continuous growth.With years of frontline experience in fast-paced emergency departments and a parallel career as a Professor of Nursing, I bridge the gap between clinical practice and academic leadership. My mission is to provide exceptional, evidence-based care while shaping the next generation of nursing professionals. Whether at the bedside or in the classroom, I’m driven by a commitment to critical thinking, compassion, and continuous growth.

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Alex O’Brien is a board-certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner who earned his Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Illinois Chicago. Over a decade-long career with Carle Health, Dr. O’Brien has cultivated unique expertise at the interface of neurology and psychiatry. His clinical foundation includes years of nursing experience in neurology/neurosurgery and inpatient acute psychiatry—a background that now informs his work as a provider on the Inpatient Consult and Liaison Psychiatry Service at Carle Foundation Hospital and at the outpatient psychiatry clinic on Mattis. As an Associate Clinical Instructor for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, Dr. O’Brien specializes in translating complex psychopharmacological concepts into actionable clinical practice. His professional interests include trauma, personality disorders, and the neurobiology of emotion. An advocate for integrated wellness, he emphasizes the "biopsychosocial spectrum” as fundamental to holistic recovery and patient education.

Carla Johns has been working in the nursing profession since 1999. After graduating from the University of Iowa, she worked as a staff nurse at both Northwestern Memorial and Lurie Children’s Hospital. She obtained her master’s from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2007 and has worked as a nurse practitioner since. Carla joined Premise Health to work as a primary care provider and has been integrating weight management visits into her practice since 2016. She is also currently completing her DNP at UIC, about to graduate this May with her doctoral project centered on EHR integration of clinical support tools to improve guideline adherence. Outside of the nursing profession, Carla enjoys travelling with her husband & daughters, coaching volleyball as well as completing a Hyrox competition in fall 2025. Her eldest daughter is finishing her 1st year here at UIUC.

Cheryl Herrmann, RN, MS, APRN, CCRN, CCNS-CSC/CMC, has 31 years of nursing experience—15 years as a bedside nurse in SICU, Neuro ICU, and CVICU, and 16 years as a cardiac clinical nurse specialist. As a cardiac CNS, she cares for patients in cardiac prep and recovery, cardiac catheterization, surgery, ICU, telemetry/progressive units, and at discharge. In addition, Ms. Herrmann is a Prehospital RN for the local ambulance service. In 2005, Ms. Herrmann was honored with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Circle of Excellence—Excellent Clinical Nurse Specialist Award and the Twenty-Five Women in Leadership Award in central Illinois. She is the recipient of the 2009 University of Illinois Alumni Award.

As a dedicated Family Nurse Practitioner with over nine years of experience, I am committed to providing exceptional patient care and promoting health and wellness in diverse populations. I hold board certifications in Family Practice and Advanced Diabetes Management, ensuring that my patients receive comprehensive and specialized care. Since graduating from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2014, I have honed my skills in diagnosing and managing acute and chronic conditions, with a particular focus on diabetes management. My passion for patient education and preventive care drives my practice, and I take pride in empowering my patients to take an active role in their health. In addition to my clinical expertise, I am a strong advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous learning. I stay updated with the latest advancements in healthcare to provide evidence-based treatments and improve patient outcomes. I am also passionate about my involvement in state and national nursing organizations, which allows me to stay connected with peers, contribute to the profession, and advocate for the advancement of nursing practice. I am always looking for new challenges and opportunities to expand my knowledge and skills in family practice and chronic disease management.

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