Dr. Curtis is CNO at Ben Taub Hospital, an academic hospital with over 400 beds and one of the nation’s busiest level 1 trauma centers, serving more than 100,000 emergency visits annually. He leads nursing strategy and operations across inpatient, emergency, surgical and specialty service lines, with accountability for care quality, workforce development, recruitment/retention, and interdisciplinary collaboration aligned to Harris Health’s safety-net mission. He emphasizes high reliability, shared governance and data-driven decision-making to strengthen patient outcomes, staff engagement and regulatory performance, all while sustaining Magnet-level standards. Dr. Curtis brings a mission-focused leadership style shaped by more than 22 years of U.S. Army service, including enlisted and officer roles, with clinic leadership overseas. In civilian healthcare, he has held executive nursing leadership roles across multiple institutions and is credited with major nursing excellence achievements at prior Harris Health leadership posts, including leading a hospital to its first Magnet designation and multiple “Pathway to Excellence” recognitions. Appointed to his current role in 2024, he is continuously advancing leadership pipelines, professional development and culture. Dr. Curtis was recognized by the Houston Chronicle as a “Top 15 Nurse” in 2024.
