Olena Svetlov

Olena Svetlov, DNP, BA, APRN-CNS/AGNP, CCRN, NE, FCNS, FCCM, serves a three-year term as a director on the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Board of Directors from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

Svetlov is a clinical nurse specialist and cardiac subject matter expert at UCLA Health, University of California, Los Angeles. Originally from Ukraine, she pursued a PhD at Kyiv Institute of Literature and Moscow State University, Institute of Literature. After moving to the U.S., she discovered a passion for caring for critically ill adults, especially older adults. With an 18-year career in critical care, she specializes in hemodynamics and implementing prevention strategies to eliminate delirium in the ICU.

During COVID-19, she led by being present and meaningful. During that time, she led her team in transitioning in-person symposiums and meetings to virtual platforms. She coordinated speaking engagements with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Girard (president-elect of ANA/C) for the San Fernando Valley Chapter. Although Dr. Fauci could not be there in person, he recorded a special message for the chapter and they played it during the event. In 2020, she managed a two-day virtual spring symposium and an eight-hour fall symposium, a first for the chapter. As a chapter member, she also helps other members grow and benefit from being certified.

Other affiliations include being president of California Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists and co-chair of the SoCal Society of Critical Care Medicine Education Committee. She often speaks at local, regional, national and international conferences. In 2022, Svetlov auditioned for the Korean Los Angeles Choir and performed at Concert for Peace, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles. The profits supported Ukrainian children at the beginning of the war.

In 2026, she received the ANA/C Clinical Excellence Award, and became a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine. In 2024, she received the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Excellence and Service Award. Svetlov received AACN’s Circle of Excellence award and the NICHE–ABIM Foundation Choosing Wisely Trailblazer Award for her contributions to reducing delirium in the ICU; both awards were presented in 2022.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Northridge, followed by a Master of Science in Nursing from Azusa Pacific University. She completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice at Grand Canyon University.

In her free time, Svetlov enjoys creating special moments with her husband, three children, a dog, a cat, two goldfish and five fish tanks.