Kelly Johnson, RN, PhD, NEA-BC
Vice President, Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer 
UCSF Health & Benioff Children’s Hospitals

 

Kelly Johnson is Vice President of Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer and is responsible for directing the operations of pediatric inpatient nursing at Mission Bay and Oakland, including oversight of pharmacy, perioperative services, emergency services and trauma, respiratory therapy, clinical nutrition, social work, interpreter services, child life, pastoral care and music therapist. For the Mission Bay campus, oversight includes all pediatric inpatient nursing, as well as pediatric perioperative and emergency services operations.

Kelly brings over 27 years of experience as a Vice President Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer in top-ranked healthcare organizations and is recognized as a collaborative results-driven and mission-driven leader with a strong reputation for partnership at all levels of organizations. For the past 4.5 years, Kelly was VP Patient Care Services and CNO for Stanford Children’s Health, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, and providing executive leadership for clinical services. She was instrumental in addressing quality and safety challenges and improving work experience results while achieving a low RN turnover rate. Kelly was also appointed Associate Clinical Faculty in the Stanford School of Medicine, Division of Neurosciences. From 2008 – 2015, Kelly was Senior VP Patient Care Services and CNO for Children’s Hospital Colorado, and from 1993 – 2008, she was Vice President Patient Care Services and CNO for Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

Kelly’s clinical background focused in the neurosciences with specialization working with patients and families of all ages with traumatic spinal cord injury. Kelly earned her BSN from the University of Northern Colorado, her MSN, FNP from UCSF Family Health Care and Neuroscience, and her School of Nursing PhD from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, College of Nursing. Kelly, a clinical associate on UCSF faculty, is also actively involved in board membership and community leadership roles in the Bay Area.