GCU alumna Dr. Ifeoma I. Nnaji starts a new position today as the Regional Program Manager for the Research and Innovation Academy (RIA), the Kaiser Permanente Nurse Scholars Academy announced recently.
In her new role, she will promote research and the integration of evidence-based practices across Kaiser’s 21 hospitals in Northern California. She will lead efforts to spread best practices, educate and heighten awareness of nursing research, and oversee multisite nurse research projects as a part of Kaiser’s Magnet strategy.
Nnaji is not new to this role, as she was instrumental in helping launch the RIA in 2021, leading the academy’s Community of Practice and supporting the work and needs of the team over the past year. She is a co-principal investigator on two ongoing regional studies.
Nnaji has been in a nursing leadership role for over 14 years. Her leadership career ranges from a house supervisor at a skilled nursing facility to a manger and director at an acute care facility.
Since 2015, when she joined Kaiser Permanente, she undertook the role of manager and the interim department director. She managed over 100 employees and provided day-to-day managerial support for critical care areas within the facility. She focused on the patient care experience and implemented visual boards and lean methodology to ensure staff understood the quality data that led to effective patient care outcomes. She transitioned to Director of Clinical Education Practice and Informatics in 2017, overseeing regulatory requirements and training for all nurses and disciplines and organizing, directing and evaluating curriculum
She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at GCU and holds three national board certifications, including Nurse Executive, Informatics and Nursing Professional Development.
