Kathleen Chavanu Gorman

Kathleen Chavanu Gorman, M.S.N., R.N., F.A.A.N., is Executive Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Operating Officer at Children's National Hospital. Kathy is a nurse leader who has advanced patient safety, quality and clinical resource management to improve care outcomes and inform policy for children and families.

Kathy rejoined Children's National from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) where she served as Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services, Chief Nursing Officer and Assistant Dean of Clinical Practice at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Prior to her tenure at CHOP, Kathy was at Children’s National as Vice President of Quality and Clinical Support Services until 2009. During that time, she also led the Quality Program, Clinical Resource Management Program and Family Service Department. She played a critical role in the process of achieving Magnet® status in March 2010.

Kathy has presented and published extensively on quality, safety, outcomes and leadership in healthcare. In advancing the national agenda on improving child health through pediatric quality, she has led and participated in committees under the National Quality Forum, the Leapfrog Group, Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), American Board of Pediatrics, Institute of Medicine and others.

Kathy serves on the board of directors for the DAISY Foundation and the Quality, Safety and Performance Committee for CHA. She was the recipient of the distinguished Alumni Award for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and is a graduate from the Wharton School of Business: Johnson & Johnson Nurse Executive Fellow program. In 2017 Kathy received the American Hospital Association’s prestigious Grassroots Champion Award for Washington, D.C., in recognition of her tireless advocacy on behalf of patients, hospitals and communities. She also serves as treasurer of the American Academy of Nursing.

In addition, she has been recognized as a top woman leader by Becker’s Hospital Review in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Kathy was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing in 2014. She received a bachelor's and master's degree of science in nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Nursing.