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Forbes Ranks ChristianaCare as one of the best employers for diversity and inclusion in the United States

Apr 23, 2021

3 min

ChristianaCare also ranks as No. 1 overall employer for diversity and inclusion in Delaware, No. 14 among U.S. health systems


(WILMINGTON, Del. – April 23) magazine ranked ChristianaCare as one of the best employers for diversity and inclusion in the United States in its list of Best Employers for Diversity 2021.


ChristianaCare also ranked as the No. 1 employer for diversity in Delaware and the No. 14 health system for diversity in the nation.


ChristianaCare ranked 121st out of the 500 employers that were recognized.


“At ChristianaCare, our mission is simple, but profound – we take care of people,” said Janice Nevin, M.D., MPH, president and CEO of ChristianaCare, which is Delaware’s largest private employer. “And caring for people means that we work together, guided by our values of love and excellence, to bring equity and inclusion to everyone we serve, including our own caregivers. We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve, as we aspire to deliver high-quality, accessible care and achieve health equity.”



ChristianaCare has committed to being an anti-racism organization and works to ensure that commitment is reflected through the organization’s policies, programs, and practices. (Read more about ChristianaCare’s anti-racism commitment here.)


ChristianaCare’s inclusion efforts also include the launch of 10 employee resource groups, which connect caregivers who have a common interest or bond with one another. Formed by employees across all demographics – such as disability, gender, race, military status, national origin, sexual orientation, etc. – these voluntary grassroots groups work to improve inclusion and diversity at ChristianaCare. More than 750 caregivers at ChristianaCare participate in employee resource groups.


ChristianaCare also recently launched LeadershipDNA, a new leadership development program that is specifically targeted to underrepresented, diverse populations and is designed to foster professional and career development.


“We are grateful for this recognition, which affirms that our organization is committed to taking on the meaningful work to help our caregivers be exceptional today and even better tomorrow,” said Pamela Ridgeway, chief diversity officer and vice president of Inclusion and Diversity at ChristianaCare. “The fact that our caregivers can see the value and feel the impact of our inclusion and diversity efforts illustrates the importance for us to continue to push onward.”



Forbes’ Best Employers for Diversity were identified from an independent survey of more than 50,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations. The employees were asked to give their opinion on a series of statements surrounding the topic of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+, and general diversity concerning their own employer.


The survey also gave survey participants the chance to evaluate other employers in their respective industries that stand out with regard to diversity. Only the recommendations of minority groups were considered. Also factored in was diversity engagement amongst managers and diversity among leadership.


About ChristianaCare

Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 5th best health system to work for in the United States and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by HealthGrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With the unique CareVio™ data-powered care coordination service and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

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ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute Achieves CRISPR Breakthrough That Reverses Chemotherapy Resistance in Lung Cancer

In a major step forward for cancer care, researchers at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute have shown that disabling the NRF2 gene with CRISPR technology can reverse chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer. The approach restores drug sensitivity and slows tumor growth. The findings were published Nov. 13, 2025 in the online edition of Molecular Therapy Oncology. This breakthrough stems from more than a decade of research by the Gene Editing Institute into the NRF2 gene, a known driver of treatment resistance. The results were consistent across multiple in vitro studies using human lung cancer cell lines and in vivo animal models. “We’ve seen compelling evidence at every stage of research,” said Kelly Banas, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate director of research at the Gene Editing Institute. “It’s a strong foundation for taking the next step toward clinical trials.” Potential Beyond Lung Cancer The study focused on lung squamous cell carcinoma, an aggressive and common form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that accounts for 20% to 30% of all lung cancer cases, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s estimated that over 190,000 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed in 2025. While the research centered on this cancer type, the implications are broader. Overactive NRF2 contributes to chemotherapy resistance in several solid tumors, including liver, esophageal and head and neck cancers. The results suggest a CRISPR-based strategy targeting NRF2 could help resensitize a wide range of treatment-resistant tumors to standard chemotherapy. “This is a significant step toward overcoming one of the biggest challenges in cancer therapy — drug resistance,” Banas said. “By targeting a key transcription factor that drives resistance, we’ve shown that gene editing can re-sensitize tumors to standard treatment. We’re hopeful that in clinical trials and beyond, this is what will allow chemotherapy to improve outcomes for patients and could enable them to remain healthier during the entirety of their treatment regimen.” Targeting a Master Switch for Resistance The research zeroed in on a tumor-specific mutation, R34G, in the NRF2 gene, which acts as a master regulator of cellular stress responses. When overactive, NRF2 helps cancer cells withstand chemotherapy. Using CRISPR/Cas9, the team engineered lung cancer cells with the R34G mutation and successfully knocked out NRF2. This restored sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs such as carboplatin and paclitaxel. In animal models, tumors directly treated with CRISPR to knockout NRF2 grew more slowly and responded better to treatment. “This work brings transformational change to how we think about treating resistant cancers,” said Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., senior author of the study and executive director of the Gene Editing Institute. “Instead of developing entirely new drugs, we are using gene editing to make existing ones effective again.” Editing Reaches Threshold Levels One of the most promising discoveries was that disrupting NRF2 in just 20% to 40% of tumor cells, was enough to improve the response to chemotherapy and shrink tumors. This insight is particularly relevant for clinical use, where editing every cancer cell may not be feasible. To test therapy in mice, the researchers used lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), a non-viral method with high efficiency and low risk of unintended, off-target effects. Sequencing confirmed that the edits were highly specific to the mutated NRF2 gene, with minimal unintended changes elsewhere in the genome. “The power of this CRISPR therapy lies in its precision. It’s like an arrow that hits only the bullseye,” said Banas. “This level of specificity with minimal unanticipated genomic side effects offers real hope for the cancer patients who could one day receive this treatment.”

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