Deborah E. Trautman, PhD, RN, executive director of the Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, is now CEO of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
Trautman, who holds a joint appointment at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, took office June 16, replacing Geraldine “Polly” Bednash, who retired after 28 years as head of the AACN.
“My goal is to bolster AACN’s longtime mission of finding new ways to improve the quality of nursing care by re-envisioning traditional nursing roles, strengthening nursing education programs, and striving to create a more highly educated nursing workforce,” Trautman said.
“Dr. Trautman’s strong background in health policy, interprofessional engagement, and nursing leadership make her an excellent choice as CEO,” Bednash said. “I know that my very capable successor will continue this important work on behalf of nurses and the patients we serve.”
In her role at Johns Hopkins, Trautman has worked with industry leaders across the health professions to increase public and congressional understanding of complex health issues. The Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Transformation was created through a partnership between the university’s Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing to foster strategic collaborations with policy makers, health practitioners, and the general public to advance solutions to improving healthcare nationally and internationally