Cathy R. Ward (BSN 1977)

Los Angeles, California

Cathy R. Ward, PhD, RN, NEA-BC is a 1977 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate of the UAB School of Nursing. She is retired as the Chief Nursing Officer for the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California and Assistant Clinical Professor in the UCLA School of Nursing. Dr. Ward is responsible for nursing care in the inpatient and observation areas in the medical center, which is composed of 24 nursing units, 455 licensed beds, and more than 2,500 employees; including approximately 1,800 registered nurses. She has provided leadership and direction at UCLA for the past 26 years in various management roles.

Prior to her appointment at UCLA, Dr. Ward was an assistant professor at Boston University School of Nursing, a clinical nurse specialist at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, and a cardiovascular nurse clinician in cardiac surgery at the University of Alabama. She also served as a member of the executive transition team in the planning and opening of the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in 2008. She received the UAB School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.