Shirley R. Gibson, MSHA, RN, FACHE
Dr. Gibson is currently Associate Vice President of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System. She received her diploma in nursing from Johnston-Willis Hospital School of Nursing and her undergraduate and graduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from American Sentinel University. Ms. Gibson has been involved in healthcare for 50 years in VA. After working as a staff nurse at Johnston-Willis Hospital, she made her way into the Nurse Executive role at HCA, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and later to the Nurse Executive role at Bon Secours, St. Mary’s Hospital. She then served as Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for 8 years at Mary Washington Hospital, MediCorp Health System, in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
She is currently the President of the Virginia Nurses Foundation and Co-Lead of the Virginia Action Coalition working to implement the Institute of Medicine: Future of Nursing recommendations along with AARP VA. In 2003, she was awarded the Nancy Vance Nursing Excellence Award, Virginia Nurses Association highest award. In 2009 she received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the Department of Health Administration where she served as faculty and in that same year she received the Virginia Hospital and Health Care Associations Meritorious Service Award. She was recently recognized by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners as the recipient of the Virginia Nurse Practitioner Advocate Award. She served on the Governor’s Virginia Health Reform Advisory Council and the Governing Body of the Health Information Exchange/ConnectCare. She is currently serving on the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority and the Virginia Center for Health Innovation. Shirley’s passion is advocacy for nurses and patients.