Written by Cathy (CJ) Carter-Snell, AFN President, PhD, RN, SANE-A, DF-AFN

I had the privilege of attending the Canadian Forensic Nurses Association (CFNA) Symposium in St. John’s, Newfoundland the end of May. It was the 20th anniversary of the organization which I—together with Sheila Early, Jan Calnan, and Kathleen Soltys—founded in 2006 at an IAFN chapter meeting in Vancouver. Many CFNA attendees and some speakers were also members of the Academy of Forensic Nursing, and now the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). The president of ENA and some of the organization’s board members were in attendance.

CNFA President Liz Louden, two of the CFNA Board of Directors—Aileen Holland and Cybele Angel—and I were interviewed on CBC national radio about forensic nursing and its importance to healthcare. We also celebrated outstanding contributions by members including Sheila Early’s appointment to the Order of Canada, and Aileen Holland’s significant contributions to forensic nursing. The symposium also celebrated the first group of nurses who were certified by the Canadian Nurses Association as forensic nurses.

The Spiderweb The CFNA Symposium reinforced how interconnected we all are despite the activities of multiple organizations. It again reminded me of the Blackfoot story of Ani to Pisi, “the spiderweb.” It was gifted to our university by Elder Roy Bear Chief. It describes how we are all connected on a web; what happens on one part of the web has an effect on others. When there is success, we celebrate together, and when there is hardship, we support each other.

Many of us are members of at least two of these forensic-related organizations: AFN, ENA, and CFNA. We each bring something different to our members, but together we are stronger on the web. I look forward to future discussions with the boards of each organization to see how we can work together on shared initiatives and learn from each others’ strengths. I am proud to be a member of all three organizations.

Honoring Tireless Efforts in Forensic Nursing This month, we have several celebrations within AFN: new Distinguished Members, Distinguished Fellows, and the 2026 DAISY Nurse Leader Award in Forensic Nursing. Keep an eye open for announcements on these honors, coming soon. We had many nominations and so many deserving individuals. Please join me in reaching out and offering our congratulations to the recipients. Thank you also to the Awards Committee for their contributions.

Let’s also start thinking of how to support other nominees for next year, and what other awards we would like to include. There is so much incredible leadership, initiative, and innovation in forensic nursing, and we need to recognize and celebrate as much as we can.

Have a great summer and enjoy a well-needed break if possible. Take care.