Stuart Downs, as the Nurse Administrator at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, provides strategic direction for over 1,000 nurses and oversees the planning, implementation, and evaluation of clinical operations to ensure optimum patient care delivery.

An inaugural Coldiron Senior Nurse Executive Fellow, Dr. Downs’s framework for ethical leadership and translation of research findings provided guidance to nurse leaders facing unprecedented ethical challenges during the pandemic. The dissemination of his work reached over 12,000 leaders globally and provided solutions to influence ethical reasoning and cultivate moral strength.

Dr. Downs expertly spearheaded the design and creation of two national awards for ethics in nursing in collaboration with the American Nurses Association. While serving on the boards of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and Georgia Organization of Nurse Leaders, Dr. Downs positively influenced healthcare delivery, academia, and national policymakers. He currently serves on the Board of the international DAISY Foundation as well as adjunct faculty and membership to the Dean’s Advisory Board of Vanderbilt University and the Global Advisory Board of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy.

Dr. Downs holds a DNP and MSN from Vanderbilt University, MSA from Central Michigan University, and BSN from Southeastern Louisiana University.