Patricia Speck is an internationally recognized family nurse practitioner who specializes in public health and forensic nursing. She graduated from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, College of Nursing and later completed her doctoral dissertation on sexual assault program evaluation. As a board certified family nurse practitioner, Patricia's clinical practice focuses on the health aftermath of violence and her research centers on forensic nursing practice topics. She is a consultant, author, and lecturer on forensic nursing and has earned more than 20 local, national, and international awards and professional honors for her work. Patricia chairs the American Public Health Association's Family Violence Forum and is a former president of the International Association of Forensic Nurses.