Dr. Roslyn Robinson becomes first CNO at ETSU Health

JOHNSON CITY (Aug. 18, 2020) – ETSU Health has named Dr. Roslyn Robinson as its first chief nursing officer (CNO). Robinson also becomes the new associate dean of practice and community partnerships in the East Tennessee State University College of Nursing.

As ETSU Health’s first CNO, Robinson will be responsible for working with other ETSU Health leaders to establish policies that benefit nursing staff and patients by formulating and implementing new nursing strategies within ETSU Health’s clinical sites.

“As the CNO for ETSU Health, my role will align with ETSU Health’s senior administration team by offering the best insights to all ETSU Health management and clinical teams on how they can improve the quality of clinical care in their facilities,” Robinson said.

Robinson has served as an assistant dean in the College of Nursing since January 2019. Prior to that, she served as executive director of ETSU University Health Center and school-based clinics. In her new role as associate dean, Robinson will oversee all of the College of Nursing’s practice clinical sites, billing and projects. She will also supervise and coordinate all nursing staff and nurse managers.

This role was previously held by Dr. Patricia Vanhook.

Dr. Wendy Nehring, dean of the College of Nursing, applauded Vanhook’s many contributions to the college and its nurse-managed clinics.

“Dr. Vanhook is an internationally and nationally recognized leader on topics related to nurse-managed clinics and the value such providers can bring to the care of the underserved and uninsured as well as the general public,” Nehring said. “Her grant-writing skills have brought over $17 million to the college and the nurse-managed clinics to continue their care to the region.

“Dr. Vanhook exceeded my expectations for her accomplishments in this role and we are all indebted to her contributions and the legacy that she leaves.”

Robinson has a Ph.D. in business administration, with a specialty in health care administration. Her other degrees include an MBA, RN, BSN and BS in psychology. She has 24 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/plasma industry as a regional director and also spent seven years in behavioral health as business/case management with Covenant Health Systems. She came to ETSU in September 2015.

“With the establishment of ETSU Health and the evolving complexities of operating several clinics, it was important for the role of the associate dean for practice and community partnerships to change,” Nehring said. “As ETSU Health develops its umbrella leadership for ETSU's clinical enterprises, it was also important to develop a chief nursing officer role.

“Dr. Robinson is a gifted leader with organizational, fiscal and communication skills. She has a unique and comprehensive skill set which will enable her to lead the nurse-managed clinics and place nursing at the table to enable ETSU Health to be a strong interprofessional enterprise for years to come.”

ETSU Health is the outward-facing brand that includes the educational, clinical, and research pursuits of ETSU’s thriving academic health sciences center and the clinical components of ETSU Physicians and Associates and Northeast Tennessee Community Health Centers, Inc. Its 30 clinical locations and more than 250 health care providers are a familiar and respected presence throughout Northeast Tennessee.

To learn more about ETSU Health, visit www.etsuhealth.org.

To find out more about the College of Nursing, visit www.etsu.edu/nursing/.