Vangie Dennis is Assistant Vice President for AnMed Health located in Anderson, South Carolina. Professional organizations include the Association of Operating Room Nurses (AORN), American Association for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Laser Institute of America, AORN Specialty Assemblies, and the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery.

She is on the editorial board for the Journal for Clinical Laser Medicine and Surgery, ORToday and Outpatient Surgery. Vangie has been published and cited in publications such as “OR Nurse, American Health, Laparoscopic Update, Surgical Services Management, Infection Control Today, OR Manager, Today’s OR, Outpatient Surgery, and Same Day Surgery.  She is also the author for the “Medcom Module:  Laparoscopic Approach for Treatment of Urinary Stress Incontinence”, referenced in “The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals”, co-published the nursing Chapter 9, “The Team-Nursing’s Perspective” in the book Principles of Laparoscopic Surgery, Chapter 20 Laser Risks and Perioperative Safety:  Donna Watson’s Perioperative Safety, expert reviewer of the 2011 & 2018 AORN Recommended Practices for Lasers, author for the AORN Laser Study Guide, Module, and video.  Published Chapter 14 Lasers in Radiology Nursing:  Advanced Practice and Leadership in Radiology Nursing and Chapter 14, Understanding Laser Safety in Dentistry.

Ms. Dennis is an independent consultant, lectures on lasers and nursing practice. Vangie has lectured nationally and internationally for AORN, AORN Chapters, Advanced Technology Specialty Assembly, American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, The International Laser Safety Conference, Canadian Nurses Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, American Association Gynecological Laparoscopists, MedSun CODA Conference, and Medical Societies and facilities.

Vangie is on the Board of Directors for Laser Institute of America, the chair for the National Certification on Lasers, Board of Directors for AORN National, Past President of the NW AORN Chapter, Past Treasurer for the Georgia Council of Nurses, Board of Directors for Gwinnett Technical School and committee representative for the American National Standards Institute. She presently serves as the National President for AORN Board of Directors and served a term on the Board of Directors.

She is a recipient named in Strathmore’s WHO’s WHO, the recipient of the 1996 Nursing Excellence Award from the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery, awarded the 2011 R. James Rockwell Jr. Educational Achievement Award, and the 2011 AORN Award for Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Clinical Nursing Education.  She is the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Nurse of the Year for the Georgia March of Dimes and 2019 Manager of the year for OR Manager. Vangie was also awarded Perioperative nurse of the year for the Georgia Council of Perioperative Nurses and for the AORN Northwest Chapter. She is the Past President for National AORN 2022-2023 and is a member of Emory Alpha Epsilon Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.