Melissa D. Cole: Director of Nursing & Strategic Healthcare Integration at John Carroll University

Melissa D. Cole, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, CENP is currently the inaugural Director of Nursing & Strategic Healthcare Integration at John Carroll University (JCU). Ms. Cole is also Associate Faculty at JCU and will oversee the recently announced Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program and the expansion of John Carroll’s academic healthcare portfolio. JCU is a 136-year-old Jesuit institution that was rated #4 best undergraduate teaching among Regional Universities in the Midwest and was ranked #1 in Ohio in the U.S. News & World Report.

Prior to coming to JCU, Ms. Cole served in a variety of leadership capacity at University Hospitals Health System (UHHS) beginning in 2016 as the Vice President for the Center for Emergency Medicine, where she was responsible for leading and developing strategic initiates across 13 emergency departments. In 2020, during the pandemic she was named Acting System Chief Nursing Executive and Clinical Operations Cheif, with responsibility for a wide range of clinical services including nursing. Most recently, in her role as Vice President (VP) of Integrated Delivery Operations, Ms. Cole was tasked with shaping the value-focused strategy to enhance clinical quality and ease of access for patients across the health system.

She earned a BSN (Ursuline College, 2003), an MSN (University of Tampa, 2012), and a DNP (Case Western Reserve University, 2022) and is a certified adult nurse practitioner and certified in executive nursing practice.

Ms. Cole has been a registered nurse for 20 years and has practiced as an Adult Nurse Practitioner in Emergency Medicine since 2012. She is known for her transformational leadership style with expertise in clinical operations, change management, innovation and process improvement. In 2016, she was awarded the excellence in management award for her work at Tampa General Hospital in her role as the Director of Emergency Services. Shortly after relocating back to Ohio and joining UHHS, she was nominated in 2017 for the YWCA Woman of the Year award.

Ms. Cole is a proven leader, collaborator, and innovator in the healthcare industry with a focus on operational efficiency, employee engagement, and improved quality outcomes. She has presented at various conferences regarding the importance of nurse innovation and disruption as well as adoption of technology and care model redesign. She has published on remote patient monitoring, split-flow implementation and hospital at home outcomes.

Academically, Ms. Cole has served as clinical instructor at the Univeristy of Tampa, and is currently collaborative faculty member at Univeristy of South Florida and adjunct as Case Western Reserve Univeristy’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She currently serves as Associate Faculty at JCU and presents nationally as keynote speaker and guest lecturer at Ursuline College.

Ms. Cole is passionate about the community she serves and is committed to breaking down barriers for women in leadership roles and the stigmas that is exist for the mental health and addiction population. She is currently on the board of directors at New Directions and Crossroads Health, which serves as the local mental health and drug rehabilitation centers throughout Northeast Ohio. Ms. Cole is a role model for others and enhance the patient services in her communities she serves.