Dr. Martin has a long and distinguished career in nursing practice and nursing education. She earned her BSN at Loyola University in Chicago in 1974 following in the footsteps of her mother, Alice Proud, who inspired her and mentored her early career. Initially she worked as an evening charge nurse at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago caring for physically disabled young adults and children. Diann has always believed that the focus on nursing basics in this setting; such as skin care, bowel and bladder training and working to help patients attain maximal functional recovery was a solid basis for her career as a nurse.

Several years later she moved from inpatient rehabilitation nursing to home health care. She was a staff nurse at the Detroit VNA and later the VNA of Chicago. In 1982 she became the Clinical Director at the VNA of Evanston Il launching her work as an executive leader in home health and hospice. During her time at the VNA in Evanston, the agency established the first hospice program in Illinois with a grant from the Chicago Community Trust. In 1985 she earned her MS as a Community Nurse Practitioner, a program that blended NP work with public health coursework. From 1985-1990, she was the Director of Clinical Services at Rush Home Health in Chicago as part of the Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. In 1990 she earned her PhD in nursing at Rush University and later worked as the Vice President of Clinical Services at the VNA of Chicago directing the home health, private duty, hospice, home pharmacy and DME services. She also served as the Administrator of the Home Health and Hospice Program at Elmhurst Hospital. During this time, she was active in committee work with the National Association of Home Care and she participated in beta testing of several home physiologic monitoring systems. She was invited to speak in England at a national conference on Telemedicine. She also gave numerous presentations at national and local nursing conferences on topics including quality improvement, leadership and teamwork.

In 2005 Dr. Martin moved from clinical practice and executive leadership in community health into academia. She was the Dean of Nursing at Kaplan University in Chicago followed by serving as Program Director of Health Sciences at DeVry University. Diann has served as Dean of Nursing at Colorado Technical University, and at Herzing University in Wisconsin. She has taught in the nursing programs at Kaplan, Herzing, South University, Walden University and Capella University. Also, she has taught graduate students at Regis University and St. Xavier’s University online. She serves on the membership committee of ANA-Illinois and she is an advisory board member of the Center for Healthcare Innovation.

In addition to her professional work, Diann has regularly been a speaker at nursing and educational conferences. In 2010 she wrote and presented a one-woman play on the life of Lillian Wald, a nurse activist and founder of the New York Visiting Nurse Association and school nursing. Diann is currently a member of the American Nurse Association, the Association for Community Health Nurse Educators, the Holistic Nurse Association, the Association for Nurses in Professional Development and the National League for Nurses. She now leads her own company, the Successful Nurse (TSN). The company’s mission is to inspire nurses to lead their ideal lives, both personally and professionally. TSN provides regular education and mentoring programs to nurses and offers consulting to nursing education programs nationwide.

In 2017 Diann became a best-selling author having written a chapter included in Mastering the Art of Success edited by Jack Canfield. Diann has devoted a great deal of time and commitment to personal development. She is a Certified Facilitator and Master Training Apprentice with the Passion Test, a system for creating and prioritizing the components of an ideal life. She is also a Certified Jack Canfield Success Coach and a Certified Trainer of Steve Farber’s Leadership Program. Her recent presentations include workshops on Living Your Best Life.

Dr. Martin is the mother of a 30-year-old daughter, Breida, who lives in Chicago and is a massage therapist. Diann and her husband John, a federal judge have been married for 39 years. They live in Wilmette Il, a northern suburb of Chicago. Diann’s interests including writing creative non-fiction, poetry and reading. She is currently writing a book to be released in 2019.

Dr. Martin has a long and distinguished career in nursing practice and nursing education. She earned her BSN at Loyola University in Chicago in 1974 following in the footsteps of her mother, Alice Proud, who inspired her and mentored her early career. Initially she worked as an evening charge nurse at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago caring for physically disabled young adults and children. Diann has always believed that the focus on nursing basics in this setting; such as skin care, bowel and bladder training and working to help patients attain maximal functional recovery was a solid basis for her career as a nurse.

Several years later she moved from inpatient rehabilitation nursing to home health care. She was a staff nurse at the Detroit VNA and later the VNA of Chicago. In 1982 she became the Clinical Director at the VNA of Evanston Il launching her work as an executive leader in home health and hospice. During her time at the VNA in Evanston, the agency established the first hospice program in Illinois with a grant from the Chicago Community Trust. In 1985 she earned her MS as a Community Nurse Practitioner, a program that blended NP work with public health coursework. From 1985-1990, she was the Director of Clinical Services at Rush Home Health in Chicago as part of the Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center. In 1990 she earned her PhD in nursing at Rush University and later worked as the Vice President of Clinical Services at the VNA of Chicago directing the home health, private duty, hospice, home pharmacy and DME services. She also served as the Administrator of the Home Health and Hospice Program at Elmhurst Hospital. During this time, she was active in committee work with the National Association of Home Care and she participated in beta testing of several home physiologic monitoring systems. She was invited to speak in England at a national conference on Telemedicine. She also gave numerous presentations at national and local nursing conferences on topics including quality improvement, leadership and teamwork.

In 2005 Dr. Martin moved from clinical practice and executive leadership in community health into academia. She was the Dean of Nursing at Kaplan University in Chicago followed by serving as Program Director of Health Sciences at DeVry University. Diann has served as Dean of Nursing at Colorado Technical University, and at Herzing University in Wisconsin. She has taught in the nursing programs at Kaplan, Herzing, South University, Walden University and Capella University. Also, she has taught graduate students at Regis University and St. Xavier’s University online. She serves on the membership committee of ANA-Illinois and she is an advisory board member of the Center for Healthcare Innovation.

In addition to her professional work, Diann has regularly been a speaker at nursing and educational conferences. In 2010 she wrote and presented a one-woman play on the life of Lillian Wald, a nurse activist and founder of the New York Visiting Nurse Association and school nursing. Diann is currently a member of the American Nurse Association, the Association for Community Health Nurse Educators, the Holistic Nurse Association, the Association for Nurses in Professional Development and the National League for Nurses. She now leads her own company, the Successful Nurse (TSN). The company’s mission is to inspire nurses to lead their ideal lives, both personally and professionally. TSN provides regular education and mentoring programs to nurses and offers consulting to nursing education programs nationwide.

In 2017 Diann became a best-selling author having written a chapter included in Mastering the Art of Success edited by Jack Canfield. Diann has devoted a great deal of time and commitment to personal development. She is a Certified Facilitator and Master Training Apprentice with the Passion Test, a system for creating and prioritizing the components of an ideal life. She is also a Certified Jack Canfield Success Coach and a Certified Trainer of Steve Farber’s Leadership Program. Her recent presentations include workshops on Living Your Best Life.

Dr. Martin is the mother of a 30-year-old daughter, Breida, who lives in Chicago and is a massage therapist. Diann and her husband John, a federal judge have been married for 39 years. They live in Wilmette Il, a northern suburb of Chicago. Diann’s interests including writing creative non-fiction, poetry and reading. She is currently writing a book to be released in 2019.