Maria Hamakiotis earned a BSN in 1997 and an MSN in 2002 from McGill University School of Nursing in Montreal. After many years as an RN in an acute medical and geriatrics unit, she transitioned into the ambulatory world as a Neuro-Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist in 2003. She later became the Ambulatory Nursing Practice Manager overseeing the clinical and operations of specialty ambulatory practices. In 2013 Maria moved to Chicago and began her current role as the Director of Nursing and Professional Practice at Northwestern Medical Group. She has been a member of AAACN since 2010 and currently serves on the Ambulatory Care Scope and Standards Revision task force.