Top nursing officer named for UMMC adult hospitals

Effective Sept. 1, she will succeed Dr. Janet Harris, who will move to a full-time role as associate dean for practice and community engagement in the School of Nursing, a title she has held since January.  There, Harris will help develop and implement strategies around service learning in the school’s nurse practitioner-managed clinics, among other duties.

“I am excited about the opportunity, and continuing to improve upon the solid foundation of delivering quality care to the citizens of the state of Mississippi,” Gillespie said.

UMMC employs more than 2,500 nurses at its facilities in Jackson, Lexington and Grenada.

Gillespie has more than 31 years of nursing experience, most of it with UMMC.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., and a Master of Science in Nursing-Executive Track from the UMMC School of Nursing.  She is enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the School of Nursing.

During her tenure at UMMC, Gillespie has worked as a staff nurse in the adult emergency department, nurse manager in the surgical intensive care unit and post anesthesia care unit, clinical director of adult critical care, and operations director of the eICU, the first electronic intensive care unit in the state.

“Terri has a unique combination of skills earned through her experience as a nurse and leader,” said Kevin Cook, CEO of the University Hospital and Health System. “Her expertise will be most valuable as we navigate the waters of the national healthcare reform effort and tackle improving population health in the state of Mississippi.”

Gillespie has championed organ donation awareness, transplantation and training in end-of-life care during her career. She is a member of the Mississippi Nurses Association, the American College of Health Executives, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and the Children’s Hospital Association.

“Janet’s contributions to the growth and success of UMMC, and in particular our focus on patients and families, are many and ongoing,” Cook said. “It’s heartening to know that she will now be able to share her values and knowledge more directly with future generations of nurses through the School of Nursing.”

Children’s of Mississippi will conduct a national search to fill Gillespie’s former position that encompasses UMMC health professionals, said Guy Giesecke, CEO of Children’s of Mississippi.

Terri Gillespie, a veteran nursing leader and Children’s of Mississippi chief nursing and clinical services officer, has been named the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s chief nursing executive officer and chief nursing officer of the adult hospitals.