2025 Nursing Knowledge: Big Data Science Conference

June 4-6, 2025

The 13th annual Nursing Knowledge: Big Data Science (NKBDS) Conference welcomed leaders in nursing, informatics, data science, and digital health to share insights, innovations, and strategies that are transforming the future of nursing practice, education, research, and policy. Held June 4–6, 2025, at the McNamara Alumni Center in Minneapolis, the conference emphasized the importance of interoperable systems, equity-driven data strategies, and cross-sector collaborations. Attendees engaged with national experts on the evolving function of nursing data across clinical, academic, and public health domains.

The pre-conference workshops on June 4 offered four focused tracks, each designed to deepen attendees’ engagement with priority areas of the initiative. 

In Track 1, “Nursing Terminology & FHIR,” Susan Matney, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, FACMI, FHIMSS, FHL7, and Laura Heermann Langford, PhD, RN, FAMIA, FHL7, guided participants through the application of interoperability standards, including LOINC® and FHIR, to advance structured nursing documentation and EHR integration. 

Track 2, “All of Us Concepts & Hands-On,” led by Steve Johnson, PhD, FAMIA, and Lisiane Pruinelli, PhD, MSc, RN, FAMIA, provided a practical exploration of the NIH All of Us Research Workbench, emphasizing how nurses can harness population-level data to drive precision health. 

In Track 3, “Building Impactful Collaboratories,” Connie White Delaney, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FNAP, Lisiane Pruinelli, PhD, MS, RN, FAMIA, Rebecca Freeman, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Kelaine Haas, PhD, offered strategies for creating sustainable, multi-institutional partnerships that amplify the impact of nursing informatics initiatives. 

Track 4, “Transforming Documentation – H2T Toolkit,” presented by David Boyd, DNP, RN, CNS, CPHIMS, NI-BC, and Bonnie Adrian, PhD RN NI-BC, introduced a structured, system-based approach for reducing documentation burden while ensuring clinical relevance, drawing on a rich dataset used across U.S. and Canadian health systems.

Main Conference

The main conference began June 5 with Patricia C. Dykes, PhD, RN, who delivered a powerfully compelling keynote, “The CONCERN Early Warning System: Leveraging Nurse-Driven Data for Early Prediction and Scalable Implementation in Patient Care.” Dr. Dykes focused on the CONCERN (COmmunicating Narrative Concerns Entered by RNs) early warning system (EWS), an innovative predictive tool designed to transform nurses' narrative documentation into actionable clinical insights. Rooted in the recognition that nurses are often the first to detect subtle changes in patient status, CONCERN captures and codes nurses’ documented concerns within the electronic health record (EHR) to predict early signs of deterioration, such as impending organ failure, before traditional clinical indicators appear. Dr. Dykes shared the evidence base behind the development of CONCERN, detailing its conceptualization, data science underpinnings, and integration within existing EHR systems. She presented findings from a multi-site clinical trial that demonstrated the model’s predictive value and impact on clinical decision-making. The keynote also introduced the CONCERN Implementation Toolkit, a resource designed to facilitate broader adoption by offering step-by-step guidance, implementation strategies, and lessons learned from real-world settings. 

Attendees gained valuable insight into how nurse-generated data can be leveraged to enhance patient safety, drive predictive analytics, and improve care quality. Dr. Dykes' presentation underscored the importance of designing AI-driven tools that elevate and operationalize the unique contributions of nursing, fostering a future where narrative nursing documentation plays a central role in data-informed, proactive care delivery.

Later that day, a “Hot Topic: Data, Nursing, and Standards: A Multifaceted Perspective for Technology Driven Care” panel moderated by Susan Matney, PhD, RNC-OB, FAAN, FACMI, FHIMSS, FHL7, AL2, featured Jane Carrington, PhD, RN, FAMIA, FAAN, Allen Flynn, PharmD, PhD, and Kelly Aldrich, DNP, RN, NI-BC, FHIMSS, FAAN, in a wide-ranging discussion on the intersection of standards, safety, and nurse well-being. Presenters explored themes from precision education to technology “prescriptions” and medication safety innovation—underscoring nursing’s unique vantage point in leading data-informed transformation.

On June 6, “Hot Topic: Gravity Project: Data to Address Social Needs and Advance Maternal Health Equity” by Asha Immanuelle, MAS, RN, PHM-C, CPHIMS, spotlighted the Gravity Project’s maternal health initiatives, demonstrating how structured SDOH data can shape more responsive, person-centered care. Lorena de Leon, DPA, MBA, and Bryce Parker, MPH, delivered the closing Keynote “A Comprehensive Approach to Address Social Needs Beyond Critical Care”. Together, they shared how Medicaid managed care organizations are using analytics to close social care loops, presenting scalable strategies for cross-sector data integration. A panel “From Clinical to Social Data: How to Leverage Analytics to Address Social Determinants of Health” moderated by Kathleen (Kathy) Bobay, PhD, RN, ACHIP, FAAN brought these threads together, highlighting how nursing can bridge clinical and social data environments to promote equity and whole-person care.

Throughout the conference, interoperability and standardization remained central themes, with workgroup meetings providing a space to report on past-year accomplishments and set actionable goals for the year ahead. The importance of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR), the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine, such as Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), and Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), and scalable documentation frameworks was echoed across sessions, alongside growing momentum in SDOH analytics, AI adoption, and nursing workforce visibility.

The 2025 NKBDS conference reaffirmed the essential role nurses live in shaping the digital health landscape, both as stewards of data and as leaders of systems change. With powerful examples drawn from research, implementation science, and frontline care, the event showcased how nursing knowledge is being mobilized to transform outcomes, policies, and communities.

As is usual during the annual think-tank NKBDS conference, each workgroup had dedicated time to reflect on progress, highlight key achievements from the past year, and engage members in forward-looking discussions. These in-person meetings are a cornerstone of the initiative’s collaborative spirit, providing a space to welcome new participants, strengthen connections among long-standing contributors, and identify opportunities for cross-workgroup integration. Building on their accomplishments, workgroups collaboratively develop action plans for 2025–2026, aligning priorities with the broader NKBDS strategic plan and vision. These draft plans are then shared with the full conference audience, fostering transparency, feedback, and shared ownership of the work ahead.

As the NKBDS Initiative continues to evolve, the 2024–2025 workgroup accomplishments reflect a powerful convergence of nursing insight, data science, and national interoperability standards. This year’s efforts have strengthened our technical infrastructure, advancing work with FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms), and LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes), while reaffirming the essential role of nurses in shaping predictive, person-centered, and data-driven care.

Looking ahead, sustained progress will require even deeper engagement from nurse leaders and executives to create the policy and cultural conditions needed for success. Their influence is vital to embedding shared, interoperable nursing data into health system strategies, fostering environments where nursing contributions are systematically captured, compared, and valued. As stewards of quality, safety, and innovation, nurse executives are uniquely positioned to champion the use of standardized data models, support the implementation of tools like the CONCERN early warning system, and advocate for nursing representation in digital health governance. These proceedings document our shared achievements AND issue a call to action: to build a future where nursing data is visible, meaningful, and mobilized to advance health for all.

The 2026 Nursing Knowledge: Big Data Science Conference will be held June 3-5 in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Updated information, as available, can be found on the NKBDS Initiative website (z.umn.edu/bigdata).

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that the University of Minnesota Twin Cities is built within the traditional homelands of the Dakota people. 

We acknowledge and honor the peoples on whose land we live, learn, work, and today celebrate, as we seek to strengthen our relations with our tribal nations.

We acknowledge that the health care system, meant to protect and heal people, has supported structures of racism causing ongoing trauma and health inequities.

Most importantly, we acknowledge that words are not enough. 

We will ensure that our institution provides support, resources, and programs that increase access to all aspects of higher education for our American Indian students, staff, faculty, and community members.