ELKHORN, NE, July 03, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Pamela J. Johnson-Carlson, DNP, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. Dr. Johnson Carlson's career—spanning more than 45 years—reflects a legacy of transformative impact in pediatric health care, nursing leadership, and clinical systems innovation.

Dr. Johnson Carlson is a nationally recognized pediatric nursing executive, whose leadership has consistently strengthened clinical systems, elevated professional nursing practice and driven organizational performance across several major children's hospitals. She is known for her ability to align interprofessional teams, strategy and culture to deliver measurable improvements in patient outcomes, workforce engagement and operational excellence.

As Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Children's Nebraska (2023-current), Dr. Johnson Carlson provides enterprise wide strategic leadership that shapes the organization's clinical direction and professional practice environment. She leads the development of structures and processes that enhance care delivery, accelerate interprofessional collaboration, and cultivate a high-performance culture aligned with organizational strategy and national standards of excellence. Her leadership has strengthened Children's Nebraska's position as a top-tiered pediatric health system with a reputation for innovation, quality, and professional nursing excellence. She is most proud of her team's accomplishments (nursing, physician partners and cross department colleagues) in several major organizational achievements including: Children's Nebraska's 2026 Best Places to Work for Nurses recognition (Nursegrid); its Fifth Magnet Designation with Distinction (2025), and awarded the 2023 ANCC Magnet Prize for its "Project Austin" program (an award that recognizes organizations whose care delivery team initiative best represents exemplary achievements in patient care services, including initiatives in health care delivery and research leading to innovations that results in positive outcomes).

Since 2011, Dr. Johnson Carlson has also served as an independent contractor for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), performing peer review services both nationally and internationally for the Magnet Recognition Program.

Prior to her current role, Dr. Johnson Carlson served as Chief Administrative Officer for Stead Family Children's Hospital, Women's Services, and the Center for Disabilities and Development at the University of Iowa from 2020 to 2023. She provided executive leadership for strategic hospital operations, partnering with multidisciplinary teams to strengthen clinical performance and advance patient care delivery across diverse service lines. Concurrently, she served as Interim Chief Nurse Executive and Associate Director at Iowa Healthcare from 2020 to 2021, guiding enterprise wide improvements in nursing practice, systems integration, and clinical operation efficiency.

From 2015 to 2020, Dr. Johnson Carlson served as Vice President of Patient Care Services/ACNO and Chief Nursing Officer at Children's Hospital Colorado in Colorado Springs, where she led the design, operational planning, and successful opening of the new children's hospital facility. This high-stakes initiative stands as a hallmark of her career, demonstrating her ability to lead complex large-scale organizational transformation, mobilize multidisciplinary teams, and build high-performing clinical environments from inception.

Her earlier leadership includes serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Phoenix Children's (2011–2014), where she brought visionary insight and creative expertise as the organization transition successfully within their newly expanded 465 bed facility. She led redesign of workflow and care delivery practices, reimagining clinical operations to support scalability, efficiency, and future focused models of pediatric care in their new expanded space.

She also previously served as Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Children's Nebraska (2007-2011) starting there in the role as a pediatric technician (1979). Her return to Children's Nebraska in 2023 following distinguished executive roles across Arizona, Colorado, and Iowa, represents a defining full-circle moment. She brings back decades of national leadership, innovative thinking, and idea-driven transformation to the organization where her career began---positioning her to shape it's next era of pediatric excellence through strategic foresight, imaginative leadership and commitment to advancing the future of care delivery.

Dr. Johnson Carlson's academic preparation reflects her commitment to advancing nursing leadership and clinical systems. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing from Midland University, a Master of Science in Nursing with emphases in maternal/child health, clinical nurse specialist practice, and administration from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice in clinical systems administration from Creighton University. She is also ANCC Nurse Executive–Board Certified, underscoring her expertise in executive nursing leadership, organizational performance and professional practice advancement.

Her professional engagement includes membership in the American Nurses Association, service on the Nebraska State Board of Nursing—including appointment as Vice President, and advisory roles for multiple nursing education programs. She is a past secretary of the Nebraska Organization of Nurse Executives. Her scholarly contributions include award winning research on Parental Role Acquisition in Multiple Time Fathers, co-authorship of Predictive Staffing Simulation Model Methodology in Nursing Economics (2017), and a chapter titled "The Culture Club: An Interprofessional Process for Cultural Transformation" in the 2022 publication Challenges and Opportunities in Healthcare Leadership: Voices from the Crowd in Today's Complex and Interprofessional Health Care Environment. Her work on cultural transformation has informed practice models adopted by other health systems, extending her influence beyond the organizations she has led.

Her personal accolades include Business Leader of the Year Nominee Finalist (Southern Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce), Outstanding Hospital CNO (Donor Network of Arizona), recognized as a leader by the Women's Fund of Greater Omaha in the publication of A Celebration of Women, and the Master Teacher Award from Midland University. She attributes her success to high personal expectations, a commitment to excellence, and an enduring passion for learning.

Looking ahead, Dr. Johnson Carlson remains committed to advancing the professional image and influence of nursing, championing innovation in practice environments, and developing the next generation of nurse leaders. Her vision centers on strengthening nursing's impact on patient outcomes and inspiring future leaders to realize their full potential—ensuring her influence continues to shape the future of health care.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who's Who in America® and Who's Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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