Cathleen Wheatley

About Cathleen Wheatley

With over 25 years of progressive experience in academic and non-academic medicine, I am asenior healthcare executive who has had the privilege to build, motivate, and integrate highlyeffective teams towards progressive strategic objectives in organizations across the globe. Healthcare leadership is my great joy, and I am currently focused on promoting the translation of research into practice to improve health equity and outcomes.I am privileged to be the current President of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. For over 7 years now, I have overseen all of the intricacies that go intoexecuting the highest possible performance and clinical care for our patients. My career has enabled top healthcare institutions to successfully navigate emerging infections, complex budgetary and workforce constraints, and system integration.My accrued knowledge in clinical practice, healthcare operations, and community development is expansive. I was Sr. VP, Chief Clinical Operating Officer, and Chief Nurse Executive atDekalb Regional Health System, and in 2006, I was honored to be named Leader of the Year. Ihave travelled extensively and gathered multi-cultural and international experience, havingserved as Corporate Chief Nurse Executive for Abu Dhabi Health Services Company inthe United Arab Emirates where I was named Top 100 Employee for Executive Leadership in2014. In 2020, I was named the College of Nursing’s 40 Noble Knight Nurses Awardeeby the University of Central Florida, my doctoral alma mater.In addition to my role at AHWFBMC, I am the immediate Past-President of the Friends of the NationalInstitute for Nursing Research (FNINR), CNO Council member of the Beryl Institute and North CarolinaNurses Association Board of Directors Member at Large. I am passionate about culture, globalhealth equity, women in leadership, DE & I, and the translation of nursing research into practice.

Experience

1. President, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center & SVP of Clinical Operations

   Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

   Apr 2019 — Present · Winston Salem, NC, US

   Responsible for 885-bed academic medical center and overall performance of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Brenner Children’s Hospital, outpatient clinics and oversight of nursing practice throughout the health system• Facilitated post COVID-19 volume recovery plan• Stewarded improvements FY 20 for clinical and experience metrics actual / prior year • Drove FY 20 key operational metric performance favorable to budget/prior year for: admissions and observations, deliveries, discharge, CMI adjust, CMAED and clinic visits• Implemented system-led COVID-19 labor expense mitigation plan• Restructured Care Coordination leadership model with in-sourcing of physician advisor functions netting improved performance in inpatient length-of-stay, reduction in observation length-of-stay and increased conversion of observation cases to inpatient status

Education

• Georgia State University

  MS, Nursing

  2000 — 2003

• University of Central Florida

  Doctor of Nursing Practice, Executive Leadership

  2015 — 2017