Back row left to right: Iain Hartman, Lauren Feindel, Talia Filiaggi. Front row left to right: Rebecca Milton, Cora Eisener, Charlotte Frank. Photo by Ryan Wilson IWK
Three years ago, six nurses from IWK’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) began working towards their master's degrees. But they didn’t get to enjoy the perks of full-time student status: while studying, they all continued working in the NICU, raising families of young children, and keeping up with all that life brings. Now that hard work has paid off and all six are fully licensed neonatal nurse practitioners (NNPs) after graduating in June 2025.
Those new NNPs are Cora Eisener, Lauren Feindel, Talia Filiaggi, Charlotte Frank, Iain Hartman and Rebecca Milton.
The NNP program is both rigorous and transformative. Participants experience an intense, hands-on journey that integrates theoretical learning with real-world clinical challenges. It’s designed not only to deepen clinical expertise, but also to cultivate leadership and mentorship skills.
The motivations for these nurses to commit to three years of schooling on top of already busy and demanding lives were mixed. For some, it was encouragement from leadership and other NNPs in the unit who had completed the program already. Others were propelled by the desire to do even more for patients and families. Continuing education was also an important motivator—and crucial in the highly researched and constantly evolving field of neonatal critical care.
“I firmly believe that continuing education is the foundation of professional development,” says Tanya Myles, manager, IWK NICU. “Nursing is far more than bedside clinical care—it’s about evolving expertise, leadership, and mentorship. Advanced practice nurses not only bring heightened clinical skills to the NICU but also serve as mentors who inspire and guide others in our team.”
The greatest motivation of all, however, was each other. All six NNPs cited their fellow IWK students as their greatest strength in completing the program. “Going through written and clinical exams while writing papers, working shift work, and finding time for things that bring you joy outside of all that isn’t easy;” says Talia Filiaggi, NNP. “But having five friends going through it with me made it so much less overwhelming.”
“I was so grateful to be able to go through the program and navigate my learning with five very dear friends and fellow nurses,” adds Cora Eisener, NNP.
For the IWK, these six graduates will tangibly impact the care experience of NICU patients and families, and the dynamics of the NICU team. The interdisciplinary teams at IWK Health are comprised of many roles, each bringing an essential perspective on how to treat patients. As it is such a niche area of health care, having NNPs with a specific focus on the neonatal population adds even greater strength to the team’s ability to diagnose and manage these patients.
"Nurse practitioners are a vital part of clinical care within the NICU. As a team of specialized practitioners, I feel we are the gatekeepers to care consistency and quality practice,” says Charlotte Frank, NNP. “NNPs are essential for providing holistic care to newborns and their families.”
“We have continued to establish the permanent role of NNPs within NICU to help navigate, perfect, and expand the care of our patients having the advantage of NICU being our primary home base, so to speak,” Iain Hartman, NNP says. “This allows for the continuity of care to be seamless, team-based, up-to-date, evidence-based, trauma-informed, and family-integrated"
Well before earning their NNP credentials, these six nurses were devoted to their patients in the NICU. The unit can be an overwhelming, or even scary, place for families and it’s vital that everyone on the team provides compassion and hope on top of excellent clinical care. For IWK’s tiniest patients and their families, these new graduates represent a renewed assurance that they will receive care rooted in excellence and compassion.
“I think the six of us come in with a lot of passion and drive to be knowledgeable and safe within our role and practice,” says Lauren Feindel, NNP. “My goal is to benefit the patients and families by practicing using the best evidence during care delivery and make sure that families feel safe and listened to as well.”
“There’s always an opportunity to learn more in nursing,” adds Rebecca Milton, NNP. “The NNP role benefits infants and their families by allowing more continuity of care that comes from a nursing lens, with enhanced operational feasibility for the unit as a whole.”
The future is bright for this team and these new graduates, and hearty congratulations are in order.