Jim Reed, DNP, MSNA, CRNA, FAANA, is a U.S. Army veteran, nurse anesthetist, educator, and veteran advocate. He held various assignments in the Army Medical Department, including intensive care nurse and flight nurse in the Army Burn Unit. Later, he was accepted to the prestigious U.S. Army Graduate Program in Anesthesia Nursing and graduated as a Distinguished Graduate in 2000.

Afterward he was assigned to the 126th Forward Surgical Team at Ft. Hood, Texas. He was then selected to join the ranks of an elite medical unit that supported Special Mission Units in Counter-Terrorist Operations. While a member of this elite unit, he deployed nine times to combat for over 1,500 days in war zones. He participated in hundreds of combat missions and administered care to hundreds of casualties. Through his service, he earned the U.S.’s Legion of Merit, five Bronze Stars Medals, two Air Medals, and many other awards and decorations.

After retiring from the Army in 2011, Reed became involved in veterans’ advocacy, particularly in the fight against veteran suicide. He has lobbied the U.S. House and Senate and appeared before governmental committee in support of veterans’ suicide prevention efforts. He was featured on PBS Frontline speaking to the problems of opioid malprescription and addiction among veterans. He has appeared as a guest in support of veterans’ causes on the CBS Evening News, Fox and Friends, and the Megyn Kelly Show. Reed has since been actively involved in a non-profit that provides service dogs to veterans with post-traumatic stress and an outdoors project for veterans.

An avid educator, he is the former Senior Clinical Instructor for the Army Nurse Anesthesia Program at Fort Bragg, Duke University Nurse Anesthesia Program Clinical Coordinator at Firsthealth of the Carolinas, and Clinical Assistant Professor in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Nurse Anesthesia Program. Currently, he is an Associate Professor at Roseman University of Health Sciences and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Arizona, a Master of Science in Nursing (Nurse Anesthesia) from the U.S. Army/University of Texas Health Sciences Center Houston, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Duke University, where he was a Jonas Foundation Scholar.