Maj Jennifer M Ballard-Hernandez DNP, FNP-BC, GNP-BC, AGACNP-BC, CVNP-BC, CCRN, FACC, FAHA, FAANP
Dr. Jennifer Ballard-Hernandez is the Cardiology Clinical Nurse Advisor to the Office of Nursing Services in Washington, DC. She is field based at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in Long Beach, California where practices as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner. Dr. Ballard-Hernandez is a volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor for the University of California, Irvine (UCI), School of Nursing. Her clinical practice focuses on general cardiology, advanced heart failure, and chronic disease management. Dr. Ballard-Hernandez completed her Family Nurse Practitioner training at UCI, her Acute Care Nurse Practitioner training at the University of Pennsylvania, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree at the Western University of Health Sciences. Dr. Ballard-Hernandez is a Captain in the US Air Force Reserve for the 452nd Aeromedical Staging Squadron.
Dr. Ballard-Hernandez has dedicated the last twenty years of her nursing career to the discipline of critical care and cardiology and throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for and leader in nursing practice issues on national, state, and local levels. Dr. Ballard-Hernandez serves on several national professional committees and is currently appointed to the Federal Cardiology Section Leadership Council for the American College of Cardiology. She was the first nurse appointed to co-chair the VA/DoD Dyslipidemia Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) and serves on the VA/DoD Hypertension CPG Writing Group.
Dr. Ballard-Hernandez has received numerous awards and accolades for her exceptional clinical practice and dedication to the nursing profession including the Circle of Excellence Award from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Cardiac Care Associate of the Year Award from the ACC, and the Dean’s award during her undergraduate years. Most recently she was awarded ACC’s 2020 Distinguished Associate Award and the 2021 California State Award for Excellence from AANP.