Karen Haller Named Vice President of Nursing and Clinical Affairs at Johns Hopkins Medicine International

Dear Colleagues,

We are very pleased to announce that Karen B. Haller, Ph.D., R.N., a 27-year Johns Hopkins Medicine nursing veteran and leader, has accepted the position of vice president of nursing and clinical affairs at Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI). Karen succeeds Jane Shivnan, who stepped down as the executive director for clinical quality and nursing on July 6 after more than 30 years with Johns Hopkins Medicine and is now supporting JHI on project-specific work as needed.

Karen will be responsible, along with John Ulatowski, JHI's vice president and executive medical director, for JHI's clinical services, developing the structure and resources needed to collaborate with health care organizations around the world and to support international patients seeking care at Johns Hopkins Medicine. She will also provide leadership and strategic oversight for JHI's clinical, consulting and knowledge transfer activities that leverage the expertise of our clinicians. Karen will assume her new role on September 21.

Throughout Karen's accomplished career at Johns Hopkins, she has demonstrated her ability to lead in complex environments, leverage her extensive institutional and clinical knowledge, and develop constructive business relationships across diverse groups.

In her most recent role as the vice president for nursing and patient care services and chief nursing officer of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Karen was responsible for professional practice and clinical standards in the institution, and she supervised a nursing staff of more than 3,000 full-time equivalent caregivers. She also oversaw the activities of the offices for social work, regulatory affairs, admitting and patient/visitor services.

A professor and associate dean for clinical affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Karen published more than 100 articles and editorials on subjects ranging from leadership and management in patient care delivery systems to end-of-life decision-making and patient safety. She has conducted National Institutes of Health-funded research on end-of-life issues. For 10 years, she has served with distinction as editor of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing. She was elected to the American Academy of Nursing in 1991; has been awarded fellowships in nursing and nursing management; and in 2001 received the National Caring Award from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses for her outstanding contributions to nursing and nursing research.

Karen received her bachelor's, master's of science and master's of public health degrees and her Ph.D. in nursing from the University of Michigan. Before coming to Johns Hopkins in 1988, she was an associate professor of maternal-child health and a research scientist at Loyola University in Chicago.

While Karen's daily presence will be greatly missed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, she will now be expanding her impact from Baltimore to the globe.

Deborah J. Baker, DNP, CRNP, director of surgical nursing at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, will serve as interim vice president for nursing and patient care services while we carry out the search for Karen's replacement. Deborah has been employed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital for 23 years and is well-prepared for this interim role.

Please join us in applauding the contributions of Karen and Deborah and welcoming them to their new roles.

Pamela D. Paulk, M.S.W., M.B.A.
President
Johns Hopkins Medicine International
Senior Vice President, International
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Judy A. Reitz, Sc.D.
Executive Vice President and COO
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Vice President for Quality Improvement
Johns Hopkins Medicine