Susan E. Hoolahan, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President, Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer for UPMC St. Margaret in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a 255-bed acute care teaching hospital serving over 250,000 residents of northeast Allegheny County and the Alle-Kiski Valley, part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). With 48,000 employees, UPMC comprises 20 hospitals and a network of sites across Western Pennsylvania and throughout the world. UPMC also has leveraged its world-renowned clinical services and patient care reputation into one of the country’s fastest growing health insurance plans. UPMC has launched a portfolio of innovative businesses in information technology, biosecurity and biomedicine. In her role as Vice President & CNO, Ms. Hoolahan oversees a multi-million dollar budget and is responsible for the Inpatient Nursing Departments, Emergency Department, Outpatient and Surgical Services, Nurse Practitioners, Quality Management, Infection Control, Respiratory Therapy, Patient Relations, Environmental and Facility Services, Pharmacy, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Nursing Education and the Schools of Nursing. In February 2009, UPMC St. Margaret was awarded Magnet Designation.
She has twenty-five years of progressive nursing experience in critical care, nursing leadership, and hospital operations in both academic and community teaching organizations. Formal positions have included Administrative Liaison, Hillman Cancer Center, Director of Inpatient Nursing, UPMC Shadyside, Clinical Director, Critical Care Services, UPMC Presbyterian, and a number of leadership positions for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
In 2007, Ms. Hoolahan presented “Patient-Centered Care and its effect on patient satisfaction, patient safety, and quality care” at the AONE Conference in Washington, DC. In 2008, at the annual AONE meeting, Ms. Hoolahan and her team were awarded first place poster presentation. In 2007, she served as Primary Consultant for Innovation in Education Award, The Virtual Hospital: A Business Simulation Model for Nursing Leaders for the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Ms. Hoolahan currently is a Magnet Appraiser for the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation. She is also an Adjunct Faculty Member for the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. Awards include the “Leading with Wisdom” award sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (2008) and the first University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Magnet Designation Award (2009)