UF Health selected Janice Walker as its first system-wide chief nursing officer to better the organization’s approach to nursing and clinical operations.  

Walker started the work on Monday, and she previously worked as system vice president and regional chief nurse officer for Advocate Health’s Southeast Region.  

According to a press release, she’ll partner with both UF Health’s regional chief nursing officers and academic leaders to provide executive leadership and clinical support services for inpatient, ambulatory and post-acute care. 

“Nurses need to have the time to connect with patients,” Walker said in the release. “And this time comes from their workflow and their work burden. Easing this — allowing us to stay connected to why we became nurses — brings back the joy.”   

Walker will collaborate with Dr. Shakira Henderson, head of the UF College of Nursing, to align teaching with real-world practice. 

Before Advocate Health, Walker held senior executive nursing roles at Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest integrated not-for-profit health care system in Texas. She’s also published on topics like achieving zero patient harm, candidate-centric nursing recruitment and retention strategies, workplace violence prevention and interdisciplinary team collaboration. 

“My experience has underscored that you don’t make decisions about nurses without nurses,” Walker said in the release. “I look forward to us becoming an aligned nursing infrastructure so we can drive outcomes and take care of our staff, in turn allowing them to take better care of our patients.”