Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Ariam Yitbarek, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC, has more than 25 years of nursing experience at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, having first joined as a staff nurse in 1998. She served as a clinical manager, nursing director, and senior nursing director before joining the hospital’s senior leadership team in 2019 as vice president of nursing operations. As CNO of the largest and busiest hospital in the nation’s capital, she oversees a staff of nearly 3,500 in the Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services. Under her leadership, the hospital has achieved several prestigious national nursing designations, including two-time ANCC Pathway to Excellence® Program designation for an empowering nursing work environment, Baby-Friendly USA designation for exceptional maternity care, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation for the nurse residency program. She is now leading the team to ANCC Magnet® designation, which is regarded as the highest distinction for nursing a hospital can receive.
Ariam Yitbarek, DNP, MHA, RN, NEA-BC