Donna Elrod, PhD, RN,
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
Donna was nominated by Heather Alverson.
Donna has worked in the organization since 1989. She went to Vanderbilt for 5 years and then returned in 1995 when she started in front line staffing and then went into her role in clinical education as a CNS, supporting the oncology nursing teams. Since that time, Donna has served as the CSM for 6E, the director of clinical education, director of practice and policy, director of the Clinical Specialists, and director of informatics. Just prior to the pandemic she was promoted to the Associate Chief Clinical Informatics for Nursing Officer and Nursing Director of the Institute for Digital Health and Innovation. This year, she agreed to take on the Associate Chief Nursing Officer in addition to the interim nursing director for inpatient oncology units. Donna has been pivotal in expanding the use of technology at UAMS in her role as executive director of Clinical Programs in IDHI. She led her teams through the rapid expansion of telehealth utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donna continues to support leveraging technology to improve the care delivered to patients across the state.
Tammy stated, “As I prepared for today, I went back and looked at the notes I used when I presented this award in 2019 to Mary Helen as the inaugural recipient. I had completely forgotten a section I had included and when I read it, I knew I had to share it with you all.
To celebrate Mary Helen’s retirement a small group of nursing leaders got together and one of our nursing directors, who happened to be Donna Elrod, toasted Mary Helen, and these are her words I shared in 2019…”
Per Donna – “In the years I’ve worked with you, I have consistently seen a model of servant leadership. We all know what that is, and I think I speak for everyone when I say you embody it with near perfection.
Your particular model of servant leadership has been the consistent call to greater good – no matter if the situation we were presented with was the highest of high or the lowest of low. Midway through my leadership career at UAMS I began thinking of you as our North Star of Nursing, the one we set our internal compasses to in order to make sure we were headed toward the greater good. I believe these internal compasses you have mentored in all of us is possibly your greatest legacy, as they will continue to foster compasses pointed toward the greater good in all our younger leaders.”
Donna was spot on in her prediction of that legacy, but what she didn’t acknowledge then and still won’t today, is she represents that same leadership for nursing at UAMS and a North Star for many of us, including myself. The wisdom and intentionality you bring to the table is priceless. When I asked Donna to take on the role of Associate Chief Nursing Officer, I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew I needed someone to balance me out. I can be a lot and tend to go at things with full steam but Donna is thoughtful, methodical and I have often said, when Donna speaks we need to listen, because let’s just say – she doesn’t waste words and the ones she shares are always so valuable.
Donna, after more than 17 years, I know you well, and you are a humble, servant leader who always has the greater good for patients and our teams in mind. I know that recognition is not something you desire and even makes you uncomfortable but for today, enjoy this moment and please know how very much you mean to us all.
Directly quoting from her nomination – “When the nursing manager on what was then 6E retired, Donna graciously took on the role of interim manager. Her leadership style was wonderful. I was a new nurse in those days. I really appreciated her communication style. She brought people in an got them engaged. I actually liked going to staff meetings because she made them fun and informative. She had high expectations of how nursing would be practiced in her area and supported staff development to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patients. Donna is an AMAZING leader! She is self-aware and emotionally intelligent. She has a way of delivering tough messages and getting her staff to accept changes without fear and resentment. Her famous “emotional bank account” speech that she delivered to the 6E team periodically inspired me tremendously back then. I use it with my teams to this day! All the positive parts of my leadership style I attribute to Donna Elrod!”