Deborah C. Small is the Chief Nursing Officer for Cleveland Clinic London. Dr. Small leads nursing at Cleveland Clinic’s newest international hospital, Cleveland Clinic London, where she established nursing governance, practice standards, and strategy during the build phase; and recruited an international nursing workforce for this advanced surgical hospital. In addition to executive operational roles, Dr. Small has led and guided nursing practice, safety, and quality for the 29,000 nurses in the Cleveland Clinic Health System in four countries. Her work includes development of a theory-based Patient and Family Centered Practice Model clarifying the role of the nurse by unifying all aspects of nursing, from bedside nursing delivery to professional nursing development globally. She has served as adjunct faculty at Carlow University, Akron University and Case Western Reserve University. Her advocacy continues internationally as a member of Florence Nightingale Foundation Advisory Board supporting diverse leadership development, the Royal College of Nursing in workforce development, and the UK Executive Nurse Network. Previous board memberships include Ohio Organization Nurse Leaders; American Heart Association (Akron, OH), and the Ronald McDonald House (Cleveland, OH).

Dr. Small earned a DNP from Case Western Reserve University, an MSN from Duquesne University and BSN from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.