Meet Dr. Michelle Acorn, Top 25 Women of Influence+ Award Recipient

Dr. Michelle Acorn has over 35 years of experience in nursing, health systems, and leadership. In 2024, she transitioned to the role as CEO of Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO). Prior to this, she served as the inaugural Chief Nurse with the International Council of Nurses, former Provincial Chief Nursing Officer in Ontario. She has also held the position of President of the NPAO.

Dr. Acorn is a distinguished Fellow of multiple organizations, including the Canadian Academy of Nursing (FCAN), the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (FFNMRCSI, Ad Eundem), and the Queens Nursing Institute in the United Kingdom. She has received prestigious recognitions, including the Nurse Practitioner Association of Canada Award of Excellence and a nomination for the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Scholars and Leaders. In 2024, she was named one of the top 20 visionary CEOs in Canada.

Dr. Acorn is educationally prepared from diploma to post-doctoral as a Doctor of Nurse Practitioner/Nursing Practice, dually registered as both a Primary Health Care and Adult Nurse Practitioner, and a certified Global Nurse Consultant. 

Her clinical expertise is diverse, including experience in emergency care and as a hospitalist. She has also been instrumental in innovating the Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Networks (GAIN) and pioneering the impact of the Most Responsible Provider (MRP) in a nurse practitioner-led model of inpatient hospital care. Additionally, Dr. Acorn has played a key role in developing nurse practitioner primary care models in corrections. She continues to practice in the community, enhancing access to care for health equity-seeking populations.