Dear Nurse Colleague:

Thank you all for your heart-felt congratulations and well wishes in the days and weeks following my appointment to chief nursing officer and senior vice president of Patient Care Services. As I transition into my new role, I will rely on your help and support, which will prove extremely valuable as we develop a refined vision of nursing at BWH.

It is truly an honor to serve as the voice of Nursing and Patient Care Services among BWH's leadership, and this appointment is very special to me. My nursing roots come from Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (PBBH), where I practiced as a new graduate on C Main. My sister then joined me at PBBH and my mother attended the Peter Bent Brigham School of Nursing. It was my mother who first instilled in me a true appreciation of patients' needs being at the very core of what we do as nurses.

Nursing is rich with opportunity and challenge. Even the challenges bring rewards beyond explanation, and it is especially rewarding at BWH where I have had the good fortune of working with so many capable and dedicated nurses over the past 30 years. Whether working as a staff nurse in the Bartlett Unit of PBBH, leading the graduate nursing program at Yale, planning with my colleagues in the Connors Center, collaborating with directors and managers on specialty services or shaping institutional strategies for Women's Health, I have never ceased to appreciate the unique contributions that nurses make every day. I respect and admire nursing's work and I look forward to being your leading champion within and outside BWH.

Everything I do as your chief nursing officer is based on how we deliver care to our patients, whether it is in the Tower, Connors Center, or across BWH's distributed campus. With this in mind, I plan on using the next few months to meet and speak with as many of you as possible. I plan to listen and learn volumes from those of you on the forefront of care, to better shape the present and future of BWH Nursing.

Nursing at Brigham and Women's Hospital enjoys a rich history of being a leader in advancing and improving patient care. I applaud your role in that history and look forward to building upon its future with you.

Sincerely,

Mairead Hickey, RN, PhD
Chief Nursing Officer
Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services