Ms. Yitbarek 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. After a brief period as vice president and CNO at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, Md., she returned to MedStar Washington in 2023 as senior vice president and CNO. As CNO of the largest and busiest hospital in the nation’s capital, she oversees a staff of nearly 3,500 in the nursing and patient care services department. Under her leadership, MedStar Washington Hospital Center achieved several prestigious national nursing designations, including Pathway to Excellence, Baby-Friendly USA, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education accreditation for the nurse residency program. She is now leading the team to Magnet designation.
