Karen Myers, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, has been named Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (TMC), effective Feb. 26. As a Magnet®-designated hospital in recognition of its excellence in nursing, Memorial Hermann-TMC is committed to the highest standard of nursing care, a standard that Myers has spent her entire career advancing and nurturing.
“We are excited and honored to welcome Karen to our team here at Memorial Hermann-TMC,” said Brian Dean, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Hermann-TMC. “She is a proven leader with a wealth of experience, talent, compassion and enthusiasm for nursing – who also is committed to developing, retaining and recruiting top nurses – all of the skills needed to help us continue delivering the innovative, high quality of care for which our hospital is known.”
In her new role, Myers will oversee the nursing department and its patient care services and operations, including working with physician and hospital leaders and the entire nursing team to enhance clinical performance, quality and safety and the overall patient experience.
“This Campus is Magnet®-designated and has a national reputation for its commitment to delivering safe, quality care through a patient-centered experience; I knew this was a professional environment I wanted to be a part of,” Myers said. “I look forward to joining the team that is going to continue setting these high standards both here in the Texas Medical Center and far beyond.”
With more than 30 years of healthcare experience, Myers has held a diverse range of leadership roles throughout her career. Previously, Myers served as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for CHI St. Luke’s Health-Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. During her tenure at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, she also served as Vice President of Nursing, Director of Cardiovascular Services and Director of Critical Care Nursing Services. As a result of her strong leadership skills, among many other accomplishments, Myers is credited with consecutive Magnet® re-designations, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, improving capacity management, and empowering staff through shared leadership to keep the organization moving forward in the face of a changing healthcare climate.
In addition, Myers is committed to various organizations dedicated to the advancement of the nursing practice, including the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, the American College of Healthcare Executives, American Nurses Association & Texas Nurses Association District 9 and American Organization of Nurse Executives. She has also been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Mary Alice Harris Metcalf Scholarship - Outstanding Doctoral Student in 2015 and Nursing Celebration Outstanding Nurse for the Texas Nurses Association Foundation - District 9 in 2014. Myers is a Johnson & Johnson/Wharton Fellow, Wharton - University of Pennsylvania, through her completion of The Johnson & Johnson/Wharton Fellow Program in Management for Nurse Executives in 2010.
She earned her BSN from South Dakota State University and her MSN from the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing. She also is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Nursing at Texas Woman’s University.