In this conversation, hosts Kalen and Karen welcome two Canadian experts, neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Ellis and forensic nurse leader Ashley Stewart, to spotlight the often overlooked reality of head trauma among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Drawing comparisons to sport-related concussion, the guests unpack why healthcare systems lack proper protocols, how this gap harms patient outcomes, and what forensic nurses can do to help their patients get on the road to healing. We introduce the new IAFN IPV Head Trauma Toolkit—built to standardize screening, assessment, documentation, and safety planning—so clinicians can identify injuries earlier, refer appropriately, and improve patients’ recovery trajectories.

Key Episode Learnings:

• Learn the importance of early recognition of IPV-related head trauma that improves patient recovery and safety.
• Discover the available screening tools and protocols for detecting head blows and strangulation, reducing missed TBIs.
• Uncover how expanding sport-concussion awareness to specific IPV care and TBI protocol development can improve patient recovery and healthcare outcomes.
• Explore building referral networks with concussion clinics and neurology to accelerate access to professional forensic nursing care.
• Learn about the new standardized and comprehensive resources for assessment of patients with acute intimate partner violence related head trauma.

Episode Resources:

• IAFN IPV Head Trauma Toolkit
• IAFN Non-Fatal Strangulation Toolkit

IAFN Resources

• IAFN Online Learning Center (OLC): forensicnurses.org/page/OLCAccess/
• TeleSAFE Toolkit: Access this Step-by-Step Guide to a Trauma-Informed Program at forensicnurses.org/page/TeleSAFE/
• International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN): Learn more at forensicnurses.org
• IAFN Foundation: Support our work to spread forensic nursing at fundforensicnursing.org
• IAFN’s SAFEta Resources: Explore safeta.org
• National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault (NTCSA): Supporting tribal communities at supportingourcircle.org

Join the Conversation
Have questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Send us a voice message on our website at forensicnurses.org/podcast/ Let’s make this podcast a resource tailored to YOU!

Connect with Us

• Website: Forensic Nurses
• Instagram: @iafn_forensicnurses
• IAFN Membership
• Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter

Don’t Miss a Single Episode!

Stay tuned for more forensic nursing stories, expert insights, groundbreaking research, and discussions that go beyond the evidence. Subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app to get notified of the new episodes and don’t miss a step on this journey!

During Forensic Nurses Week (November 3-9), we explore the evolving concept of justice in forensic nursing practice. Guests Megan McCulley, the Forensic Nursing Program Manager and SANE/SAFE Project Director at Memorial Central Emergency Department in Colorado Springs, and Jenifer Markowitz, IAFN Education and Publications Director and Expert Consultant, share insights from their decades of experience about how the forensic nursing field has transformed from practice focused on criminal justice outcomes to comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare delivery. We invite you to join us and share your voice on social media with the #FNW2025 hashtag and reflect: what does justice mean to you in the context of forensic nursing?

Key Episode Learnings:

• Learn how justice in forensic nursing extends far beyond courtroom outcomes, including helping patients feel seen, safe, and heard while giving them back their voice and agency
• Discover the importance of providing patients with informed options rather than predetermined paths, supporting their autonomy and allowing them to define healing personally
• Learn why role delineation is crucial in forensic nursing practice, with clear boundaries between healthcare and law enforcement building patient trust and ensuring ethical care
• Explore how modern forensic nursing prioritizes holistic trauma-informed healthcare and support
• Uncover the critical importance of self-care for forensic nursing sustainability - forensic nurses’ self-care is essential for ensuring both quality patient care and field longevity

Episode Glossary:

Advocate or victim advocate: In the United States, this is a trained professional who provides unbiased information and options to victims/survivors of violence at each stage in their journey. Victim advocates may be located at non-profits, where support may be confidential and conversations protected by law, depending on their state, or systems-based advocates based at government agencies, with a more narrow purview focused on supporting victims through the criminal justice process. Advocates may provide education and referrals, can assist in the criminal justice system processes, and facilitate access to other multidisciplinary resources. Advocates may also provide accompaniment to victims during the medical forensic exam, criminal justice proceedings, and more.

Episode Resources:

• Forensic Nurses Week 2025 Resources: https://www.forensicnurses.org/Forensic-Nurses-Week/

IAFN Resources

• IAFN Online Learning Center (OLC): forensicnurses.org/page/OLCAccess/
• TeleSAFE Toolkit: Access this Step-by-Step Guide to a Trauma-Informed Program at forensicnurses.org/page/TeleSAFE/
• International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN): Learn more at forensicnurses.org
• IAFN Foundation: Support our work to spread forensic nursing at fundforensicnursing.org
• IAFN’s SAFEta Resources: Explore safeta.org
• National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault (NTCSA): Supporting tribal communities at supportingourcircle.org

Join the Conversation
Have questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Send us a voice message on our website at forensicnurses.org/podcast/ Let’s make this podcast a resource tailored to YOU!

Connect with Us

• Website: Forensic Nurses
• Instagram: @iafn_forensicnurses
• IAFN Membership
• Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter

Don’t Miss a Single Episode!

Stay tuned for more forensic nursing stories, expert insights, groundbreaking research, and discussions that go beyond the evidence. Subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app to get notified of the new episodes and don’t miss a step on this journey!

In observation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada and the upcoming Indigenous Peoples’ Day in America, this episode welcomes Kalen and Karen’s colleague Kelsey Morris from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. As Project Manager for the National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault (NTCSA) at IAFN and a passionate advocate for tribal communities, Kelsey brings both professional expertise and personal, lived experience to discuss violence in tribal communities in the United States, systemic barriers to healthcare, and the importance of accessible and culturally competent trauma-informed care.

Key Episode Learnings:

• Learn about major healthcare barriers including geography, funding, and cultural safety gaps that prevent access to healthcare
• Discover why traditional healing practices must be integrated with Western medicine practice when treating Indigenous patients
• Learn about the “Seventh Generation Teaching” and how it guides Indigenous peoples’ decision-making for future impact
• Explore practical actions you can take, from amplifying Indigenous voices to supporting tribal-led organizations
• Unlock invaluable available resources that provide culturally appropriate training for healthcare professionals and beyond

Episode Glossary:

• Culturally competent: the ability to understand, respect, and effectively interact with people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and belief systems.
• Traditional healing practices: culturally rooted methods of health care and wellness that rely on indigenous knowledge systems, spiritual beliefs, and natural remedies passed down through generations, often involving healers, rituals, and holistic approaches to treating physical, emotional, and spiritual conditions.

Episode Resources:

National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault (NTCSA): Supporting tribal communities at supportingourcircle.org

IAFN Resources

• IAFN Online Learning Center (OLC): forensicnurses.org/page/OLCAccess/
• TeleSAFE Toolkit: Access this Step-by-Step Guide to a Trauma-Informed Program at forensicnurses.org/page/TeleSAFE/
• International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN): Learn more at forensicnurses.org
• IAFN Foundation: Support our work to spread forensic nursing at fundforensicnursing.org
• IAFN’s SAFEta Resources: Explore safeta.org
• National Tribal Clearinghouse on Sexual Assault (NTCSA): Supporting tribal communities at supportingourcircle.org

Join the Conversation
Have questions or topics you’d like us to cover? Send us a voice message on our website at forensicnurses.org/podcast/ Let’s make this podcast a resource tailored to YOU!

Connect with Us

• Website: Forensic Nurses
• Instagram: @iafn_forensicnurses
• IAFN Membership
• Subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter

Don’t Miss a Single Episode!

Stay tuned for more forensic nursing stories, expert insights, groundbreaking research, and discussions that go beyond the evidence. Subscribe to this podcast in your favorite podcast app to get notified of the new episodes and don’t miss a step on this journey!