Healthcare Innovation, Educational Technology, and Leadership Consulting
Shaping the Future of Healthcare, Education, and Leadership
Strategic consulting, driving healthcare innovation and change, and visionary leadership development tailored for individuals and organizations navigating a rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.
Michael Ackerman
PhD, RN, APRN‑BC, FCCM, FAANP, FAAN
About Ackerman Consultants
Founded in 2014 by Dr. Michael H. Ackerman (Mike), Ackerman Consultants bridges vision and execution for individuals and organizations navigating complex change in healthcare, education, and biomedical innovation. We don't just advise on change — we build the toolkits, frameworks, and strategies that make transformation sustainable.
Mike brings more than 40 years of clinical, academic, and executive leadership experience in critical care nursing and advanced practice as well as higher education. He most recently served as Director of the Center for Healthcare Innovation and Leadership and Director of the Master in Healthcare Innovation Program at The Ohio State University, where he developed the Innovation-Based Practice (IBP) framework now used to guide organizational transformation initiatives nationally. As Principal Investigator on a $1.5M American Nurses Foundation grant, he led one of the first large-scale integrations of virtual reality into undergraduate nursing education.
He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), and the American College of Critical Care Medicine (FCCM). He has won numerous awards, most recently (2026) receiving the prestigious Pioneering Spirit Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Signature Frameworks
Our Approach to Innovation
Two complementary frameworks, developed by Dr. Ackerman, anchor how he guides organizations through change — one for evaluating where a practice stands between evidence and novelty, and one for organizing the day-to-day work of change itself.
The Innovation-Based Practice Framework
IBP gives leaders a structured way to evaluate organizational change along two dimensions — the strength of evidence behind a practice and its degree of innovation — distinguishing validated transformation from untested risk.
Adapted from Ackerman, Porter-O’Grady, Malloch & Melnyk (2018), Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 15(3), 159–160.
The Novation Dynamic
Developed with Karen Giuliano and Kathy Malloch, the Novation Dynamic clarifies the work of change, disruption, and innovation. It organizes healthcare improvement into three pillars that must operate in tandem — ideally led by different teams — to overcome the friction that slows transformation.
Adapted from Ackerman, Giuliano & Malloch (2020), The Novation Dynamic: Clarifying the Work of Change, Disruption, and Innovation. Nurse Leader, 18(3), 232–236.
What We Offer
Services
Focused advisory services spanning leadership, innovation, clinical practice, and education. If what you need isn't listed, contact us — we'd love to discuss it.
Leadership & Executive Development
Executive coaching for healthcare and nursing leaders, emotional intelligence and resilience training, workforce engagement strategies, and leadership development programs for emerging and senior leaders.
Inquire about Emotional Intelligence Coaching and pricing →Healthcare Innovation & Strategic Program Development
Design and evaluation of innovation programs, organizational culture transformation, and academic program redesign — grounded in the Innovation-Based Practice (IBP) framework.
Clinical Practice & Advanced Practice Optimization
Evidence-based guidance on critical care, sepsis management, hemodynamics, and APRN role development to improve clinical quality, safety, and interprofessional collaboration.
Educational Technology Consultation and Advisement
Dr. Ackerman served as Principal Investigator on a $1.5M grant from the American Nurses Foundation to integrate extended reality into the undergraduate curriculum at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. Services include XR software and hardware evaluation and selection, designing and implementing XR programs, evaluating outcomes of educational technology, AI integration in healthcare, and developing innovative solutions to meet end-user needs.
Download Educational Technology Services overview →Biomedical Technology Advisement and Consultation
Strategic advisement for medical device firms, biotech startups, and health-tech companies working at the intersection of human-centered design, product development, and patient impact. Dr. Ackerman helps organizations refine strategy, strengthen development decisions, and move more effectively from early concept to market-ready solution.
How We Work
Our Approach
Ackerman Consultants advises individual leaders and organizations in healthcare, education, and biomedical organizations navigating complex change. We help clients translate innovation into practical strategy, stronger leadership, and measurable outcomes.
Our leadership advisory work is grounded in a simple premise: innovation succeeds only when leaders can align values, people, decisions, and execution. We work with healthcare leaders to strengthen emotional intelligence, navigate difficult communication, build healthy work environments, and lead disciplined, sustainable transformation.
In educational technology, we help institutions and professionals apply AI-enabled and immersive learning tools to improve engagement, accelerate skill development, and close capability gaps. Our focus is not technology for its own sake, but practical learning solutions that improve readiness, adoption, and performance.
In biotech and medical innovation, we support companies working at the intersection of human-centered design, product development, and patient impact. We help medical device firms and startups refine strategy, strengthen development decisions, and move more effectively from early concept to market-ready solution.
What differentiates Ackerman Consultants is the ability to connect leadership, learning, and innovation in environments where change carries high stakes. By combining strategic clarity with sector-specific insight, we help clients build the capability, alignment, and momentum required to improve outcomes across organizations, teams, and systems.
Keynotes & Workshops
Speaking & Workshops
Dr. Ackerman delivers dynamic, evidence-based keynotes and workshops nationally on healthcare innovation, critical care, leadership, and emotional intelligence.
Signature Talks
- “Silence: A Never Event”
- “The Novation Dynamic”
- “Democratizing Innovation”
- “Emotional Intelligence: An Essential Skill for any Leader”
- “Sepsis”
- “Artificial Intelligence: Friend, Foe, Or, I Don’t Know”
- “Extended Reality in Health Care Education”
Topics
- Healthcare Innovation & Transformation
- Sepsis & Critical Care
- Emotional Intelligence & Resilience
- Leadership Communication & Change Management
- Educational Technology
- Medical Device Evaluation
Select Venues
- National Teaching Institute, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses
- Various Health Care Organizations and Higher Educational Institutions
- Academic and health system audiences nationwide
Recognition
Recent Awards & Honors
- 2026American Association of Critical-Care Nurses: Pioneering Spirit Award
- 2023Ohio State College of Nursing: Faculty Innovation Award
- 2022Ohio State College of Nursing: Faculty Innovation Award
- 2019Fellow, American Academy of Nursing
Scholarship
Recent Publications
A selection of Dr. Ackerman’s most recent peer-reviewed and editor-reviewed publications.
- Bell S, Ackerman M, Buck J, Frueh A, Maitland J, Piotrowski K, Sokol M, Tussing T, Zellefrow C, McNett M. “Using Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Evidence Search and Synthesis.” AJN, American Journal of Nursing. 2026;126(5):56–60. doi: 10.1097/AJN.0000000000000288. View publication →
- O’Hara S, Barr T, Melnyk BM, Delaney C, Giuliano KK, Kelley T, Nadel H, Raderstorf T, Wright L, Ackerman M. “A Summative Content Analysis of Innovation in the AACN Essentials Informed by Pillay’s Innovation Competencies.” Journal of Professional Nursing. 2026;65:35–42. ISSN 8755-7223. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2026.03.008. View publication →
- Ackerman M, Malloch K, Messinger JD. “The Relationship Between Burnout and Emotional Intelligence in Nurse Managers and Assistant Nurse Managers.” Journal of Nursing Administration. 2025 Oct 1;55(9):509–515. doi: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000001621. Epub 2025 Sep 12. PMID: 40953228. View publication →
- Morrison-Beedy D, Yashin-Shaw I, Ackerman M. “A Framework for Supporting Intrapreneurialism in Nursing Academia.” Journal of Nursing Education. 2025;64(2):69–73. View publication →
- Raderstorf T, Barr T, Trinter K, Ackerman M. “Building, Sustaining, and Sunsetting Innovation Programs in Higher Education: Lessons Learned.” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 2025;30(1), Manuscript 4. View publication →
- Jokiniemi K, Ackerman M, Hako L, Pietilä A. “Content Validation Study on the Advanced Practice Role Delineation Tool.” International Journal of Nursing Practice. 2024;30(6). View publication →
- O’Hara S, Ackerman MH, Raderstorf T, Kilbridge JH, Melnyk BM. “Building and Sustaining a Culture of Innovation in Nursing Academics, Research, Policy, and Practice: Outcomes of the National Innovation Summit.” Journal of Professional Nursing. 2022;Nov/Dec:5–11. View publication →
- Barr TL, Malloch K, Ackerman MH, Raderstorf T, Melnyk BM. “A Blueprint for Nursing Innovation Centers.” Nursing Outlook. 2021;Nov–Dec:969–981. View publication →
- Ackerman MH, Ahrens T, Kelly J, Pontillo A. “Sepsis.” Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America. 2021;33(4):407–418. View publication →
- Raderstorf T, Barr TL, Ackerman M, Melnyk BM. “A Guide to Empowering Frontline Nurses and Healthcare Clinicians Through Evidence-Based Innovation Leadership During COVID-19 and Beyond.” Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing. 2020. View publication →
- Ackerman MH, Guiliano KK, Malloch K. “The Novation Dynamic: Clarifying the Work of Change, Disruption, and Innovation.” Nurse Leader. 2020. View publication →
- Raderstorf TC, Melnyk BM, Ackerman M, Bibyk S. “An Outcomes Evaluation of Makerspace Programming on Interprofessional Learning, Job Satisfaction and Intent to Stay Among Clinicians.” Journal of Nursing Administration. 2020. View publication →
“Consulting should never be theoretical. Every engagement should leave you with practical tools, fresh insight, and the confidence to make meaningful improvements.”
— Dr. Michael Ackerman, Principal, Ackerman Consultants
Who We Serve
Industries
- Academic Medical Centers & Community Hospitals
- Schools & Colleges of Nursing
- Professional & Specialty Associations
- Health Technology & Med-Tech Companies
- Nonprofit & Community Health Organizations
- Healthcare Systems & Innovation Centers
Latest News
What’s Happening
Recent updates, upcoming engagements, and news from Ackerman Consultants.
Mike Ackerman to Keynote at Parkview Nursing Research Symposium
Dr. Ackerman will deliver a keynote on Democratizing Innovation and facilitate an innovation workshop at the symposium.
Get in Touch
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