Aaron D. Franklin DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CMSRN is a New Orleans, Louisiana, native. In 2013, Franklin received a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. After graduating, Franklin migrated to Chicago, Illinois, where he was hired as a staff registered nurse on the orthopedic unit at RUSH University Medical Center. Dr. Franklin quickly advanced in leadership and became a professional nursing staff executive member and had roles such as interim assistant unit director of the orthopedics unit, hospital operations administrator, unit director of a general medicine unit and his current role as the senior program manager in the talent management department of human resources (HR). In Franklin’s role, he works with the HR department to determine strategies to improve and retain the workforce. Franklin went further to receive a Master of Science: Clinical Nurse Leader in 2019 and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP): Systems Leadership in 2021 from RUSH University. Franklin’s DNP project focused on the recruitment and retention of men in nursing and is the founder of Men in Nursing in RUSH University’s College of Nursing. Franklin is currently adjunct faculty in RUSH University’s College of Nursing and is the faculty advisor for the Men in Nursing group. Men in Nursing is an organization open to all genders with a purpose to provide a framework for students at the college of nursing and staff at RUSH University Medical Center to meet, to discuss, and influence factors which affect men as nurses. Men in Nursing at RUSH has also been instrumental in the community health arena, providing health promotions screenings at neighboring schools, participating in community vaccine administrations, and is collaborating with various committees within the RUSH System of Health to improve the communities the health system serves. Franklin was inducted to the Board of Directors of the American Association for Men in Nursing October 2022, is a member of the diversity leadership council for the RUSH System of Health and has a strong passion for removing barriers for community members from diverse backgrounds to have access to careers in healthcare.
