Letter from the Chief Medical Officer
Dear Colleagues,
As you have already learned, Mairead Hickey, PhD, RN, FAHA, was appointed to executive vice president and chief operating officer for Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals.
Mairead emerged as our top choice after a national search, and I am supremely confident that she has the experience and knowledge to move this organization forward in a time of great change in health care. Her qualifications are unparalleled in terms of her knowledge of the institution and its employees. In her years at the Brigham, she has served in multiple positions—an intensive care unit staff nurse, a vice president and most recently senior vice president and chief nursing officer—that have shaped her collaborative leadership style and comprehensive understanding of how this institution works on so many levels.
As a member of the leadership team, she has overseen a significant part of our budget and closely managed capacity needs and employee relations. These responsibilities, coupled with her love for the institution and deep compassion for our patients and the nurses who care for them, have helped prepare her for this new challenge.
In the five years since becoming chief nurse, Mairead has worked with staff nurses, nursing directors and leadership to shape and strengthen the care environment and to create a Department of Nursing that is one of the best in the country. After listening to the voices of nurses, Mairead developed a strategic vision that is advancing the practice of nursing, encouraging dialogue around clinical development and unit issues and expanding research efforts.
Mairead is a firm believer in teamwork, and I know she will continue to collaborate with people throughout the institution to address new challenges as we move forward in this evolving environment. Mairead led the hospital in establishing a philosophy and model for patient- and family-centered care, and I know that she will ensure that our patients and their families receive the best and safest care in the most efficient way possible.
She holds the utmost respect within this institution, and I look forward to the unique perspective she will bring to the role of chief operating officer. I can’t imagine a more qualified person to do this job.
Sincerely,
Andy Whittemore, MD
Chief Medical Officer