Serving as CNO since 2014, Dr. Patterson has led the hospital’s patient care teams through transformative change and growth over the last decade. Dr. Patterson, who began her 30-year tenure at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in its graduate program, served as the health system’s incident commander during the Covid-19 pandemic. In that role, she led key decision-making as the system navigated a rapidly changing landscape and challenges, including staff and supply chain shortages. She collaborated with the health system’s population health division to launch a 24/7 nurse advice line, allowing the community to get free advice from pediatric experts on a range of conditions, as well as information about where to receive the correct type of medical care. Under Dr. Patterson’s leadership, CHOC achieved three of its four Magnet designations. Before her appointment as CNO, Dr. Patterson served in several capacities at CHOC, including bedside nurse, charge nurse, clinical coordinator, nurse manager, executive director of its Hyundai Cancer Institute, and executive director of operations for the construction, opening and licensure of its 425,000-square-foot patient care tower that opened in 2013.
