Duke University Health System Appoints Dr. Iris Padilla as Chief Nursing Strategic Business Operations Officer

Duke University Health System and Duke University School of Nursing have announced the appointment of Blanca “Iris” Padilla, PhD, MBA, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP as the Chief Nursing Strategic Business Operations Officer (CNSBOO) at Duke University Health System. In this new role, Dr. Padilla will be pivotal in shaping the strategic direction of nursing services, ensuring alignment with economic, financial and business objectives and driving innovation in transforming models of patient care, workforce management, and financial sustainability.

Dr. Padilla is an Associate Professor at the Duke University School of Nursing with extensive experience in trauma-critical care, emergency department, and primary care. She earned her PhD at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, and holds an MBA from Elon University.

Dr. Padilla’s passion for nursing education and diabetes led to the creation of the first Diabetes/Endocrinology Specialty for nurse practitioner students in the country, supported by a successful HRSA-ANE grant. She has developed academic-practice partnerships providing exceptional clinical training to NP students from diverse backgrounds and has connected hundreds of national and international preceptors with ongoing education through an innovative web platform, Communities of Practice. Dr. Padilla played a key role in planning and launching the student-led Interprofessional Education Clinic at the Duke University Hospital emergency department. As the designated nursing faculty lead over several years, she mentored and educated hundreds of learners from the Schools of Medicine and Nursing. Her research and community engagement efforts focus on health disparities, health-seeking behaviors and diabetes care for marginalized communities and transition of care models for Latino patients with diabetes.

She is the first nurse to be appointed to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Task Force, which is focused on re-evaluating and updating clinical guidelines for diabetes management for primary care providers. She was also inducted into the American Academy for Nurse Practitioners in 2021. Additionally, in recognition of her work driving meaningful change across the university and health system, Dr. Padilla was selected as Duke’s 2024-25 Presidential Fellow, making her only the fourth Duke professor and the first professor from the School of Nursing to receive this prestigious honor.