A Kenyan woman, Caroline Ndung’u Njau, was named senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Children’s Minnesota, the largest pediatric health care provider in the upper Midwestern region of the United States of America.
Njau, who was formerly the director of hospital and nursing operations at St. Louis Park, becomes the first person of colour to become chief nursing officer at the hospital.
She will be responsible for patient care operations across two hospital campuses as well as overseeing the nursing strategy, education, and professional development.
She will also hold leadership positions, as a member of the Children’s Minnesota Executive Leadership team, as well as manage nursing, patient and family services.
“We’re thrilled to have Caroline join the Children’s Minnesota family and bring her wealth of expertise to our patients and families,” said Dr. Marc Gorelick, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota.
“I’m confident that her optimistic leadership and deep commitment to health equity, diversity and inclusion, and continuous patient care improvement will help us shape our future to better meet the needs of our patient families today and in the future,” he added.
Njau began her nursing career at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Kennesaw State University.
With her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of St. Thomas, Njau's 15 years of experience in the industry has seen her hold various leadership positions.
“I am deeply humbled and full of joy, gratitude and excitement as I join Children’s Minnesota. Health care has been rapidly evolving over the last few years, and we have experienced growth and change in so many ways. As we pave forward our path and design the next generation of pediatric care, we will continue to ground ourselves in our shared values, mission and vision that makes Children’s Minnesota such a treasured part of the community,” said Njau.
Children’s Minnesota is the seventh largest pediatric health system in the United States, and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood.
Kenyan women have continued to make waves in the international scene, landing top positions in large companies and organisations.
Another Kenyan, Caroline Wanga, made it to the top after she was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Essence Communications Inc, a company that owns Essence magazine, which inspires a global audience of more than 24 million through diverse storytelling.
