Barbara Hall Dunn, Ph.D., RN, CPNP, is a native of Winchester, Virginia. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1970, and a Master of Science in Nursing at the University of Virginia in 1974. A decade later she obtained a Doctorate from the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, with a dissertation entitled: "National Certification as a Performance Measure: Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, 1977-1982." Dr. Dunn has maintained a career-long involvement with the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners since its organization in Chicago in 1973, serving in numerous positions, including that of President from 1975 to 1978. Dr. Dunn edited the journal Pediatric Nursing and was the founding editor for Nursing Economics. She was a clinical faculty member of both the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University schools of nursing, and at present serves as a policy consultant for issues relevant to nurse-practitioners.