Until retiring from University of Cincinnati Health November 2024 after 15 years, Nisia
Thornton MSN RN MEd BA she/hers collaborated with internal UC ID physicians and
external healthcare experts to build the UC Health Infectious Diseases Division’s
Outpatient Parenteral (IV) Antimicrobial Therapy program. She previously worked on
the UC Medical Center acute care neurology/neurosurgery floor, achieving national
stroke and neuroscience RN certifications, mentoring new RNs, Air Force nurses, and
nursing students and administering a neurology resident – neuro RN collaboration.
While working in outpatient Infectious Diseases, Thornton assisted in establishing the
interdisciplinary Transgender Health Clinicians of UC Health & the UC College of
Medicine.

Thornton currently serves as the Kentucky Nurses Association Board of Directors’
Chapter Liaison, is active with the KNA committees for Ethics & Human Rights,
Strategic Planning Health Policy Advocacy, and Professional Practice & Advocacy. She completed the 2023-2023 KNA Leadership and Legislative Academy Fellowship.
At this year’s KNA Annual Conference, Thornton led an educational and interactive
session on artificial intelligence in healthcare with specific applications to nursing
practice. She is assembling nurses to serve as the first KNA LGBTQ+ healthcare
special interest group.

For over 8 years, Thornton has advocated for gender affirming healthcare as a vital
facet of physician, nursing, pharmacy and therapies’ training, practice and continuing
education. Her Master’s project examined psychiatric emergency nurses’ use of gender
identity fields in the electronic health record (EHR or EMR) to improve care of
transgender/nonbinary patients. Thornton continues to research developments in sexual
orientation/gender identity (SOGI) data collection and healthcare technologies.
In 2021, Thornton proposed a new Kentucky Democratic Party council for LGBTQIA
Democrats. She continues to chair the Council as it develops. She participated in a 2-
year association of state Democratic LGBTQIA councils and caucuses led by
Democratic LGBTQ+ liaison Sam Alleman, has connected with state Democratic
LGBTQ+ chairs in other Southeastern states as well as in Kansas, New Jersey, and
California.

Her experience, skills, knowledge and passions include literature, language and
composition instruction; photography and art design; small business and nonprofit
administration; mental health; public speaking; astrophysics and molecular
neurochemistry; non-human rights and climate justice. Thornton also follows leaders in
radical nursing, digital feminism, carceral technologies, and algorithmic justice.