Kelly Johnson

Kelly M. Johnson, PhD, RN, NEA-BC: Kelly Johnson is Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, responsible for oversight, strategic direction, planning and leadership for the Patient Care Services disciplines which are comprised of nursing (including inpatient, emergency, ambulatory and surgery); advanced practice professionals; family-centered care; rehabilitation services; patient and family experience; psychology; patient care services education and research; social work; and care coordination.

Johnson concepts, champions and drives the development of initiatives designed to enhance and optimize patient care and nursing services. She leads the recruitment, retention and optimization of CHLA’s world-class nursing and patient care workforce. As part of her leadership efforts, she is responsive to changing trends in health care in alignment with the organization’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals.

Prior to coming to CHLA, Johnson served the Director of Administration, Operations and Community Relationships for a statewide healthy child initiative overseen by the Hawai’i Department of Education. Kelly held several senior nursing leadership roles including serving as the chief nursing executive at Queens Health System in Honolulu, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and University of California Benioff Children’s Hospitals in Oakland and San Francisco.

Johnson’s frontline nursing experience was gained in a variety of specialties including that of family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist. Her clinical focus was in the neurosciences, specifically working with individuals and families with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Johnson attained her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Northern Colorado, her master’s in Family Health Care and Neuroscience from UC San Francisco, and her doctorate in Nursing from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.