BONITA LIGHTNER

University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

For more than two decades, Bonita Lightner has built a nursing career grounded in emergency, correctional and forensic care, experience she now applies as program coordinator for the Forensic Nurse Examiner Program at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. As an FNE nurse, she provides trauma-informed forensic care while overseeing the program’s dedicated clinical space, operations and patient education. She also leads the training and certification of adult and pediatric FNEs and secures grant funding to sustain the program’s operations and professional development.

Lightner took over as lead of the FNE program in 2025 after being appointed by the medical center’s director of emergency services and subsequently approved by the Maryland Department of Health’s Board of Nursing. She leads Anne Arundel County’s only adult and pediatric FNE program, which provides round-the-clock, year-round coverage and supports nearly 300 patients annually in sensitive cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, child and elder abuse and human trafficking.

Her advocacy extends well beyond direct patient care. Lightner partners with the medical center’s Workplace Violence Prevention Committee to support team members experiencing intimate partner violence, developing internal signage and resources for her colleagues. She also serves on the steering committee for the Maryland Health Care Coalition Against Domestic Violence and leads FNE adult and pediatric clinical trainings for the local community in partnership with the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, including a session held at the medical center’s Outpatient Care Center.

Lightner received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Maryland, Baltimore in 1997. She previously earned an Associate of Arts from Anne Arundel Community College in 1992. Her career spans 24 years of emergency care, eight years of correctional clinic care, four years as a forensic nurse examiner and two years as a sexual assault response team coordinator for Anne Arundel County.