At Emory, she is responsible for nursing practice across the system’s 11 hospitals and 250 outpatient clinic locations. More than 8,000 nurses are employed by Emory Healthcare. With five Emory Healthcare facilities (four hospitals and Emory Clinic) receiving Magnet designation through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Pappas works to establish nursing excellence as a distinctive competency across Emory Healthcare.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Pappas has worked tirelessly to implement resilience and well-being programs to keep nurses healthy and reduce burnout. With the recent depletion of nurses nationwide, she has been engaged in rebuilding the nursing workforce at Emory, with a strong emphasis on recruitment and retention. Some of these programs include career development and progression programs within Emory’s own top-ranked Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Prior to the pandemic, Pappas served as an author of the National Academy of Medicine’s 2019 consensus report, “Taking Action against Clinician Burnout,” and the knowledge gained during this experience has greatly served Emory Healthcare clinicians. Through AONL, she has served as a member of the AONL Board of Directors and currently represents AONL on the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Magnet Recognition, where she is the chair. She recently chaired the AONL Workforce Subcommittee on Leadership.

Her passion for nursing is reflected in multiple publications that contributed to the international body of knowledge on how improving health care cultures through inclusion in decision-making, respect and leadership contributes to patient care. One of these publications is a book, “Quantum Leadership,” which is the text most commonly used in Doctor of Nursing Practice programs across the U.S.

Pappas received her bachelor’s degree from the Medical College of Georgia, a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Georgia College and a PhD in nursing from the University of Colorado.