Colleen K. McIlvennan, PhD, DNP, ANP, FAHA, FHFSA is an Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She is currently the Clinical Director of Advanced Practice Providers in the Section of Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation. Dr. McIlvennan graduated with her BSN in 2007 from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and went on to complete her MS as an Adult Nurse Practitioner in 2009 from the University of Colorado College of Nursing. She joined faculty at the University of Colorado in 2010, primarily running the inpatient Advanced Heart Failure and Transplantation service. She received her DNP in 2012 and PhD in 2020 from the University of Colorado College of Nursing. Dr. McIlvennan is one of a few nurses to pursue both a DNP and PhD, possessing expertise in research methodology, education, and quality improvement. 
 
Dr. McIlvennan currently splits her time between clinical care and conducting research through the Colorado Program for Patient-Centered Decisions at the Adult & Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research & Delivery Science. She has successfully held positions as site-PI for clinical trials and Co-I for multisite intervention trials. Her current research interests include supporting caregivers of patients with heart failure and improving patient engagement and implementing patient activation interventions to improve quality of care for patients with heart failure. She has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts and has won multiple awards, including the National Magnet Nurse of the Year, the Colorado Florence Nightingale Award, and the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Young Investigator Award. Dr. McIlvennan serves on several editorial boards, including Circulation: Heart Failure and Journal of Palliative Care. She has also served on various national committees, including Chair of the Early Career Committee for the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Council. Dr. McIlvennan has been a member of HFSA since 2012 and has served in multiple positions within the society, including the Board of Directors, Early Career Committee, Research Network Task Force, and Co-Chairing the Program Committee in 2018.