Nursing Welcomes Three New Program Managers
Annie Lewis O'Connor |
Cheryl Avitabile |
Ellen Liston |
Ellen Liston, MSN, RN, began as program manager for Nursing Practice Development in April. In this role, she supports the ongoing development of professional practice by working with clinical nurses and nurse leaders in developing the practice environment and in fostering the nurse-patient/family relationship. She also is an advisor to the Nursing Practice Committee, working with the nurses on the committee who represent all nursing roles at BWH to preserve and extend the characteristics of excellent practice discovered from the voices of nurses across specialties at BWH.
Liston joins BWH from Massachusetts General Hospital, where she served as a clinical nurse in General/Medical Oncology. Prior to that, she was the director of Medical and Obstetrical Nursing at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She earned her MSN from Simmons College and BSN from Columbia University.
Cheryl Avitabile, MSN, RN, was named manager for Central Nursing Education in May. In this position, Avitabile collaborates with nurses and other health care professionals to assure that all transition, orientation and continuing education programs are evidence-based, serve to advance the practice and discipline of nursing at BWH, integrate quality, safety and regulatory content and facilitate the transition of new employees into BWH in a respectful and efficient manner. Avitabile also will provide leadership in exploring innovative ways of teaching and coaching nursing and clinical support staff. Integration of technology into teaching methods and supporting the learning and adoption of technology into clinical practice will be areas of focus.
Prior to joining BWH, Avitabile was the nurse manager for a medical/surgical floor at Milton Hospital. She also had served in both the nurse manager and nurse educator roles in acute care medical centers and the private sector of the health care industry. Avitabile earned her MSN from the MGH Institute for Healthcare Professions and her BS from UMass-Boston.
Annie Lewis-O’Connor, NP, MPH, PhD, was appointed program manager of Nursing Practice for the Connors Center for Women and Newborns in March. She provides clinical consultation and partners with staff to identify the supports needed to advance nursing practice. In partnership with nursing leadership, Lewis-O’Connor works to ensure that all nurses have the knowledge and skill to provide care to all patients, especially high-risk expectant mothers.
Lewis-O’Connor joins BWH from Boston Medical Center, where she was a nurse practitioner in Emergency Services and Child Protection with a research focus that includes the prevention of violence against women and children that she will bring to her work with nurses at BWH. Prior to that, she was a nurse practitioner at Neponset Health Center in Women’s Health and Pediatrics. She received her MSN from Simmons College, her MPH at Boston University and her PhD from Boston College.