Chief Nursing Officer
University of Vermont Medical Center
Burlington, VT
Kate has accepted the post of Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, VT. Previously, she erved on the senior leadership team at the Hospital of the University of the Pennsylvania (HUP) as the Clinical Director for Neurosciences and Women's Health & Neonatal Nursing Divisions. Kate’s leadership portfolio includes hospital administration, quality and patient safety, interprofessional clinical leadership, and trauma care. She has expertise in shared governance design and has led innovative approaches to professional nurse peer review. Prior to joining HUP, Kate was the State Trauma System Coordinator for the Delaware Public Health Division leading the statewide trauma system and passage of trauma system legislation. She is an international consultant for trauma and emergency care systems. Kate has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Helen McClelland Award for Clinical Scholarship, the Perelman School of Medicine’s Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Society of Trauma Nurse’s Distinguished Lectureship award. Kate is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the American Nurses Association, and the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. In 2014 Kate was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Kate is past president of the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN), served on the board of directors and was on the editorial board for the Journal of Trauma Nursing. She represented the Pennsylvania Nurses Association on the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation board for 3 terms. In 2007, Kate became the first nurse appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma Foundation. She currently serves on the Board of the American Trauma Society. Kate earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Delaware and a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Widener University. In 2004, she completed the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Pennsylvania and subsequently earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice at Vanderbilt University. Kate completed the Healthcare Executive Program at the Wharton School. Kate is clinical associate faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and adjunct faculty at Vanderbilt University's Doctor of Nursing Practice program. In October of 2014 Kate was inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.