International Connections COINN: Neonatal Nurses Making a Difference Globally Carole Kenner, PhD, RN, FAAN a, ⁎, Marina Boykova, MSc, RN b a Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc., Boston, MA b University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK abstract article info Keywords: Neonatal Nursing Global Research The Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN) is the only global voice for neonatal nurses and the neonates and families they serve. COINN unites neonatal nurses through policy work, education, research, and conferences. This article describes COINN's work and its most recent conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It highlights what an important role neonatal nurses have in health care reform today. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The Council of International Neonatal Nurses, Inc. (COINN) held its 8th International Neonatal Nursing Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland in September, 2013. Nursing conferences are common but this conference was an important breakthrough for neonatal nurses globally. It brought together nurses, physicians, developmental care specialists, allied health professionals, parents, legislators, policy makers, and corporations all with one global aim for “improving health outcomes for neonates and their families.” Again, most conferences include such stakeholders, so why was this breakthrough? What was unique? This article will describe the conference and the impact following the meeting and why COINN “unifies neonatal nurses globally.” COINN COINN was founded in 2005 as a non-profit international professional organization whose purpose was to advocate for neonatal nurses, nursing education, neonatal care standards, policy changes, and research to provide evidence for the work. The overarching goal was to improve newborn and infant outcomes and develop leadership for neonatal nurses globally. For many years, neonatal nursing organizations were established in some countries (for example, the United Kingdom and the United States) but many countries had no recognition for this nursing specialization or had little standardization for specialty education for the nurses. Having no formalized professional association to advocate for neonatal nursing practice and education, left the nurses without a strong voice. So, the neonatal associations from the United State of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Australia, and New Zealand began deliberations about how to correct this situation. Colleagues from Southern Africa – representing Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana – asked for help in forming their own organization. They pushed the formal organizations to unite as a global presence. Thus, COINN was born as was the Neonatal Nurses Association of Southern Africa (NNASA). Over the course of the next few years the Canadian Association of Neonatal Nurses (CANN) and the Indian Association of Neonatal Nurses were formed. In other countries or regions of the world where there were no formal neonatal or nursing associations, nurses who were willing to represent their country on global level became regional representatives of COINN. To date, through the two pathways—national/ regional organizations and regional representatives, COINN represents over 60 countries. Professional meetings to bring nurses together to compare practices that started in 1995 – Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Seattle, Washington, USA; Harrogate, England; Sydney, Australia; Ottawa, Canada; Delhi, India; and Durban, South Africa – led to the recent international conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Belfast, Northern Ireland, 2013 Belfast was selected as the 2013 site for the 8th International Neonatal Nursing Conference for two key reasons. First, the Neonatal Nurses Association (NNA) of the United Kingdom is the oldest neonatal organization in the world and could support planning and coordination of the major international neonatal nursing conference. Queens College in Belfast had needed relationships and collaboration with the NNA through neonatal nurses in Belfast. The Minister of Health came in support of the nurses. The second reason was the location. COINN as a global organization aims to alternate sites of the conference to facilitate involvement of nurses from all continents and regions of the world into neonatal global work. The beauty of Ireland and its European location that is easy to travel to from almost anywhere was attractive for this special occasion. Delegates could mix work with pleasure—enjoy spectacular views of the Ireland, magnif- icent architecture, seashore and the Titanic Museum. Conference Facts The conference was a global gathering in its fullest sense—over 35 countries were represented and over 400 participants attended the meeting, from all corners of the world. Delegates included nurses, physicians, researchers and clinicians, educators and other health Newborn & Infant Nursing Reviews 14 (2014) 4–6 ⁎ Address correspondence to Carole Kenner, 94 Lyall Terrace, West Roxbury, MA 02312. E-mail address: ckenner835@aol.com (C. Kenner). 1527-3369/1401-0543$36.00/0 – see front matter © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1053/j.nainr.2013.12.005 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Newborn & Infant Nursing Reviews journal homepage: www.nainr.com