Featured Post from ChristianaCare

Forbes Ranks ChristianaCare Among America’s Best Employers for Women in 2024

Jul 26, 2024

2 min

Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC

ChristianaCare has been recognized as one of America’s Best Employers for Women by Forbes for 2024, marking the first time the company has received this prestigious recognition.


In a survey of 150,000 women working for companies of at least 1,000 employees in the U.S., ChristianaCare ranked 150 on the list of 600 employers that were recognized.


“This important recognition is a testament to our culture and the remarkable women who have chosen to build meaningful careers at ChristianaCare,” said Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC, ChristianaCare’s Chief Human Resources Officer.


“Empowering women to succeed is integral to our culture and strengthens our organization. Together, we’ll continue to advance equity and inclusion in the workplace while transforming health and clinical care.”


Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista, which surveyed employees on various aspects such as workplace environment, growth opportunities, compensation, diversity, parental leave, schedule flexibility and family assistance.


ChristianaCare continues to cultivate a strong, inclusive, and diverse culture for women inside and outside the company by investing in professional development through its Women’s Employee Network (WEN) and providing a comprehensive benefits package that includes various flexible leave options for employees, including at least 12 weeks of paid parental leave.


“Receiving this recognition from Forbes is an honor,” said Pamela Ridgeway, MBA, MA, SPHR, chief diversity officer and vice president of Talent and Acquisition at ChristianaCare. “In addition to offering workplace benefits such as paid maternity and paternity leave, ChristianaCare is firmly committed to empowering and advancing talented individuals within the workplace. Receiving this award for the first time signifies our unwavering dedication to ensuring that every individual has a voice and feels truly valued within our organization.”


The Forbes recognition follows other national recognitions of ChristianaCare’s commitment to an inclusive workplace.


Earlier this year, Forbes ranked ChristianaCare as one of the best employers for diversity in the U.S. Additionally, Forbes ranked ChristianaCare as the top health care employer for veterans in the United States. Both ChristianaCare’s Wilmington Hospital and Christiana Hospital have been named Leaders in LGBTQIA+ Healthcare Equality since 2012.


Connect with:
Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC

Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC

Chief Human Resources Officer

Chris Cowan is the chief human resources officer at ChristianaCare.

Human Resources

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from ChristianaCare

1 min

ChristianaCare Nurses Inducted as American Academy of Nursing Fellows

In recognition of their extraordinary impact on the nursing profession, two ChristianaCare nurses have been named as Fellows of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). This prestigious recognition highlights their significant contributions to nursing leadership, innovation and health care policy. Michelle Collins, DNP, APRN, CNS, ACNS-BC, NPD-BC, NEA-BC, LSSBB, currently serves as vice president of Nursing Professional Excellence at ChristianaCare. Throughout her accomplished 30-year career, Collins has played a crucial role in improving how nurses practice and learn. Her leadership was significant in achieving ChristianaCare’s third Magnet® designation, highlighting her commitment to excellence. Collins’ initiatives, including pioneering a Virtual Acute Care Nursing model and securing a $1.5 million grant for nursing technology integration, have set new standards in health care innovation. Danielle Sarik, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC, is a nurse scientist consultant at ChristianaCare. Her research contributions have been integral in shaping policies that improve health care outcomes for children and families. Sarik is renowned for developing and implementing the Baby Steps model, recognized by the AAN as an Edge Runner designee. This pioneering transition of care approach addresses health equity for neonatal patients and families following discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. “Induction into the Academy represents the highest honor in nursing,” said AAN President Linda Scott. “Earning the Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) credential is a significant recognition of one’s accomplishments and signifies the future impact they will make in collaboration with their colleagues in the Academy.”

3 min

‘You Can Do and Be Anything Coming From an HBCU’

A late July dinner was the finale to her second internship with ChristianaCare for Tania Paden. Her eight weeks at Christiana Hospital had left her feeling more confident in herself and excited to continue exploring direct patient care as she prepares to head back to Delaware State University in the fall. “I learned how to be more comfortable with direct patient care and communicate with the patients,” Paden said. “My favorite thing would have to be going to tour the different units and getting shadowing experiences throughout the hospital.” Paden is one of 10 Future of Health Scholarship Program recipients at ChristianaCare. Graduates from Delaware high schools attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were each awarded a $12,500 annual scholarship and a paid summer internship in 2021 each year until they graduate. The program, a partnership between ChristianaCare and the HBCU Week Foundation, is designed to help support HBCU students as they pursue degrees in health care. Teachable moments and big opportunities Paden’s enthusiasm is shared by Natalie Torres, director of Inclusion & Diversity at ChristianaCare, who oversees the scholarship program. “This experience is so much more than offering the scholarship funding,” Torres said. “It’s the time, it’s those quiet moments in-between meetings and their experiences where the teachable moments really take place. “When they come to us, we really want to lock into their lived experiences, and not only make sure they can thrive at ChristianaCare, but in life.” With these scholarships and other community-based endeavors, ChristianaCare continues to work to build a diverse workforce and represent its communities. Forbes recently listed ChristianaCare as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity for the fourth year in a row. Although she is a young intern herself, Aniyah Barnett, a rising biochemistry junior at Hampton University, jumped at the chance to help make new caregivers feel comfortable at ChristianaCare. She played a key role welcoming medical and dental residents to campus. “My favorite project was probably the new resident orientation,” Barnett said. “I spent time getting all the new residents together, making sure they have all the information they need, and getting to meet them!” A pathway to medicine For Ashley Christopher, Esq., founder and CEO of HBCU Week Foundation, these scholarships mean a lot. Ten years ago, Christopher had a stroke that left her feeling scared and alone as she lay in hospital. Her cardiologist, a Black woman, was the only one who made her feel heard, she told the students during their summer-end dinner. With IT experiences gained at ChristianaCare, Future of Health scholar Solomon Devard is thinking about continuing on that path to become a system administrator for a big corporation. “She was the only one who made me feel safe, secure and seen during a time where I was questioning life as I knew it,” Christopher said. “You can do and be anything coming from an HBCU. This scholarship gives students who want to go to HBCUs a pathway to the field of medicine for more people who look like me to tend to the care of patients.” The HBCU Week Foundation creates opportunities through coaching and scholarships for students who want to attend HBCUs. To support these efforts, ChristianaCare committed $500,000 to providing financial and networking support, and hands-on experiences for HBCU students. “These students are energized, they’re talented, and I’m so excited for the next step,” Christopher said. “I just feel so happy to be a part of that process.”

2 min

Center for Heart & Vascular Health Recognized for Continued Excellence with American College of Cardiology HeartCARE Center Designation

For the fifth consecutive year, ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health has earned the premier recognition from The American College of Cardiology (ACC) – the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence award – for its commitment to comprehensive, high quality cardiovascular care. ChristianaCare was the first hospital system in Delaware and one of only a handful in the U.S. to attain this recognition when it was first awarded in 2020 from the ACC, a nonprofit medical association representing more than 50,000 cardiovascular specialists. “We are proud to be a regional leader for cardiovascular care with the most advanced medical, surgical and minimally invasive specialty care, technology and research,” said Kirk Garratt, M.D., medical director of ChristianaCare’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health. “Congratulations to our entire team and all who collaborate seamlessly to deliver care 24/7. As a result, those living in Delaware and neighboring states can receive the highest quality cardiovascular care from the Center for Heart & Vascular Health.” Hospitals that have earned an ACC HeartCARE Center designation have met a set of criteria, including participating in at least two ACC accreditation services programs, national cardiovascular data registries and targeted quality improvement campaigns designed to close gaps in guideline-based care. In addition to being a current recipient of the HeartCARE Center designation, ChristianaCare participates in the ACC’s chest pain MI with PCI (heart attack with angioplasty) and resuscitation accreditation, cath lab accreditation and the Society of Thoracic Surgeon database. “ChristianaCare has demonstrated its commitment to providing the community with excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC accreditation management board. “ACC accreditation services is proud to award the Center for Heart & Vascular Health with the HeartCARE Center designation.” Hospitals receiving the HeartCARE Center designation have demonstrated their commitment to consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care through comprehensive process improvement, disease and procedure-specific accreditation, professional excellence and community engagement. ChristianaCare has proven to be a forward-thinking institution with goals to advance the cause of sustainable quality improvement. The Center for Heart & Vascular Health is among the largest, most capable regional heart centers on the East Coast. It is among the few centers in the region that integrates cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, vascular interventional radiology, cardiology and interventional nephrology in a single location. Its expert clinical staff performed nearly 200,000 patient procedures last year.

View all posts
Powered by