Nurses Against Trafficking Task Force (NATT)

Dr. Deborah St. Germain is an expert nurse clinician and nurse educator dedicated to improving forensic healthcare services for people affected by violence, enhancing multidisciplinary responses to violence, and creating forensic education opportunities for pre-licensure students and registered nurses. In her capacity to foster positive professional and organizational change, she has bridged the gap between multidisciplinary groups and has gained regional and national recognition. She is a certified Advanced Forensic Nurse (AFN-C) and certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner-Adult and Adolescent (SANE-A). Her practice experiences include caring for all age groups in critical care, emergency nursing in a Level I trauma center, forensic nursing death investigation, child and elder abuse, domestic/interpersonal violence, strangulation, human trafficking, legal nurse consulting, and expert courtroom testimony. She serves as a consultant to numerous organizations and government entities; contributes as a subject matter expert on local, regional, national, and international committees; and is committed to achieving excellence through innovative strategies and best practices. 

Anne Troy is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Holy Cross and a Forensic NP at the Audrey Hepburn CARE Center of Children's Hospital in New Orleans. She has cared for thousands of children presenting with allegations of child sexual abuse and those with concerns for trafficking for 14 years. She has testified in numerous states explaining to jurors the process of disclosure and why children delay in an outcry. Dr. Troy's area of research has focused on the outcomes of Adverse Childhood Experiences on self- forgiveness.  She is presently serving a two-year commitment as member of the board of directors for the international Academy of Forensic Nurses(AFN). She has had the opportunity to present in Rome, Italy and Lyon, France at the International Academy of Law and Mental Health.  Primary prevention is her goal when addressing issues of Human Trafficking through awareness education, skills building and legislative changes.

Charlene Ho serves as Director of Community Health at Ochsner Health. With a Master of Science in Nursing and a clinical background in Telemetry, Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine, Charlene has dedicated her career to enhancing healthcare outcomes.

In her current role as Director of Community Health, Charlene works with community partners to bring health screenings to those who are underserved and bring partnership programs like Family Connects New Orleans or Southern University’s Jag Mobile Unit fruition. Her dedication to holistic well-being and preventative care has made a significant impact on local communities, promoting a healthier and more informed public.

Outside of her professional commitments, Charlene is an enthusiastic traveler, always seeking new adventures and cultures to broaden her worldview. Her love for exploring diverse cultures is rivaled only by her passion for discovering and indulging in culinary delights.

Dr. Michelle Robins Nelson, DNP, FNP-C is a native of Baton Rouge. She has twenty-five years of wide-ranging nursing experience from practitioner, nursing staff, coordinator, management, and adjunct facility to name a few. Dr. Nelson earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Role and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College with a focus on “Information Technology and Social Media among Nurse Practitioner Students in Accessing Health Care information: Impact on Patient Safety and Quality Health Care.” She is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and licensed in Louisiana. Additionally, she is certified with Advanced Trauma Life Support from Tulane University. Dr. Nelson completed training with the Governor’s Office Train the Trainer Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness in 2022. Her expertise has been in Family Practice, Trauma Surgery Services and is currently with General Surgery Services with the Surgeons Group of Baton Rouge. Dr. Nelson serves in a leadership role with Surgeons Group facilitating patient care across the continuum. She also works with the Graduate Medical Education Division spearheading providers education and patient continuity of care. She enjoys public speaking including legislative health policy issues. Dr. Nelson was nominated for the Nightingale Award APRN of the Year 2017 by the Louisiana State Nurses Association. She was awarded Nurse Excellence with Baton Rouge District Nurses Association May 2023. In addition, she was nominated as one of the Great 100 Nurses of Louisiana June 2023.

She is a member of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners. In addition, Dr. Nelson serves as the chair of Human Trafficking for Our Lady of the Lake Health Systems Baton Rouge Region. She has served on the subcommittee for the Human Trafficking Prevention Commission and Advisory Board with the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking in 2022 and 2023, the Board for LA CaTS with Pennington Biomedical Research Center as chair as well as other numerous boards and health committees. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and participates in several community outreach programs. Furthermore, she is a sustaining member with the Junior League of Greater Baton Rouge. Dr. Nelson is the loving wife of Sean Nelson and mother of her lovely daughter, Brooklyn.

Dr. Dana R. Hunter is a native of Baton Rouge, LA.  In February 2017, after serving in various leadership roles in academia and government, she was appointed by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards as the Executive Director of the Governor’s Office Children’s Cabinet. In this role, she worked passionately to coordinate and align resources and policies to better outcomes for children in the state of Louisiana. Over the last 7 years, Dr. Hunter collaborated closely with Governor and First Lady Donna Edwards to lead statewide anti-human trafficking efforts and the Human Trafficking Prevention Commission. On July 1, 2021, Governor John Bel Edwards appointed Dr. Hunter as Executive Director of the newly established Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking Prevention. In this role, she was responsible for creating and implementing a statewide care coordination model for victims regardless of their location and identity and a network of resources to aid in prevention. Dr. Hunter was recently named as the new Executive Director of First Lady Edwards' Louisiana First Foundation and is also the founder and CEO of D3 Research & Consulting Services, LLC where she provides training at the national, state, and local level.