Sean D'Onofrio - MSN, APRN, ACCNS-P, CCRN, CPN, CNML, NE-BC

I am an Assistant Nurse Manager in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta – Arthur M. Blank Hospital, where I balance clinical practice and administrative leadership while remaining actively engaged at the bedside. I also serve on the Board of Directors for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB), contributing to national efforts that support pediatric nursing certification and professional standards. Over the past decade, I have cared for critically ill and injured children in high-acuity settings, serving in both clinical and leadership roles. Trained as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist with a concentration in critical care at the University of Pennsylvania, I am committed to delivering expert, family-centered care while advancing the systems that support it. I am currently a PhD nursing student at Georgia State University. My research focuses on brain death/death by neurologic criteria (DNC) and pediatric end-of-life care, with particular attention to how families understand, experience, and make meaning of these events in the PICU. I am especially interested in communication, decision-making, and the relational aspects of care that shape family experiences before, during, and after a child’s death. I also have a growing interest in preventing PICU readmissions, particularly among children with diabetes who are rehospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). My work aims to bridge clinical practice and research to improve the quality, safety, and humanity of care in the PICU. By focusing on both family experience and system-level change, I seek to inform practice, education, and leadership in pediatric critical care and end-of-life care.