Cleveland Clinic’s Associate Chief Nursing Officer of Research and Innovation, Dr. Nancy M. Albert, Appointed as ACCF/AHA Task Force Team Member

The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) Task Force on Performance Measures recently selected Cleveland Clinic’s associate chief nursing officer of research and innovation, Nancy M. Albert, PhD, CCNS, CCRN, NE-BC, FAHA, FCCM, as an ACCF cardiovascular team member.

In her role, Dr. Albert will serve as a nurse member of a cardiologist-led task force that develops, publishes and advocates for use of performance measures to monitor and assess healthcare provider delivery of medical care.

Quality of care delivery

According to Dr. Albert, when hospital and ambulatory care providers monitor the quality of care they deliver, they are more likely to manage patients based on high quality research evidence, and when available, guideline-directed medical therapies. The ACCF Task Force is the body that leads, reviews and monitors performance measures in many cardiac patient populations.

“It is rewarding to be able to participate on this task force as it allows me the opportunity to be a voice for patients and nursing, and to grow professionally just by being part of the discussions,” Dr. Albert said. “The task force work allows me to give back to my profession, and hopefully, make an impact on the quality of care patients receive. In addition, during task force work, I meet and learn from experts in the field.”

Dr. Albert feels strongly that it is important for nurses to get involved in both the quality of healthcare delivery and health policy.

“As one of Cleveland Clinic’s finest nurse leaders and extremely talented nursing professionals, Nancy is most deserving of this notable appointment and will deliver great value to the ACCF Task Force – just as she does every day to our organization,” said K. Kelly Hancock, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Executive Chief Nursing Officer, Cleveland Clinic. “She believes that nurses should be leaders in advancing nursing science and in working as a team with multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals to effectively meet patient needs. I have no doubt that her involvement in this task force will lead to continued success in this area.”

Demonstrated leader, globally recognized nurse researcher

As associate chief nursing officer, Dr. Albert is responsible for the management and oversight of all resources and research activity conducted within Cleveland Clinic Nursing’s Office of Research and Innovation. Through her leadership, Dr. Albert’s team mentors nurses as principals and co-investigators in research and evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes, providing services throughout the health system.

A tenured nurse scientist and a clinical nurse specialist in Cleveland Clinic’s Kaufman Center for Heart Failure, Dr. Albert actively conducts studies through her programs of research, which include: understanding bio-behavioral issues that impact self-care adherence and clinical outcomes of patients with heart failure; and, improving conformity to recommended heart failure care advocated in national guidelines.

Throughout her career, Dr. Albert has been influential in the healthcare industry, actively volunteering on steering committees, work groups and task forces of many national healthcare organizations. She has published more than 210 peer-reviewed articles in nursing and medical journals, written book chapters and is a national and international presenter. She serves as executive editor of Cleveland Clinic’s own Notable Nursing, is an editorial board member of four journal publications, an associate editor for one nursing journal, and is an active manuscript reviewer for American Heart Journal, Journal of the American Medical Association, and more.

Additionally, she has received several professional awards and recognitions, holds three national nursing certifications and is a board-certified nurse executive. Dr. Albert is also an adjunct associate professor at Case Western Reserve University, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, an Ohio-based school of nursing, and a full professor at Aalborg University in Denmark.

Get involved in ACCF

In the past, Dr. Albert has also served on the ACCF’s Task Force on Practice Guidelines as a Cardiac Care Associate Member and Chair, in addition to her work on the Task Force on Performance Measures. She encourages nurses who want to become actively involved in an organization that works to assure patients have the best chance to receive high-quality care, to seek ACCF membership.

She notes that ACCF offers ongoing opportunities for networking through national meetings, electronic correspondence and more. Upon joining the organization, Dr. Albert recommends nurses openly express their interest in committee work, actively publish and present on topics of importance, volunteer for organizational requests and inquire on how to become more involved.