D’Ann Somerall co-coordinates the Family Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Alabama (UAB) at Birmingham School of Nursing and co-directs the Health Policy Fellowship, an innovative program designed to educate and guide faculty in creating and implementing health policy actions across the state and nation. She developed the inaugural distance-accessible FNP program at UAB, one of the first of its kind, which was explicitly designed to serve rural populations, a critical focus, given that all 67 counties in Alabama then and now are designated as medically underserved. She has served in leadership positions on the state level, advocating for expanded privileges for nurse practitioners (NPs) to combat the primary care crisis in Alabama. As a former president of the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama, Dr. Somerall championed expanding NP signature authority, addressing critical barriers to patient and family well-being. A key achievement of these efforts was securing legislative approval for NPs to sign death certificates—one of eight essential documents included in the expanded privileges. Before bill passage, fewer than 40 states permitted NPs to perform this function, resulting in prolonged delays for rural families awaiting death certificates and hindering their ability to access death benefits. This policy change represents a pivotal step toward improving healthcare efficiency and ensuring timely support for families during difficult times. She is co-chair of the Advocacy Committee for the National Association of Family Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Somerall received her DNP, MSN with a focus as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and BSN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Master of Arts in Education, along with a Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate.