Kathleen g. Pisano | va wilkes-barre health care | veterans affairs

Kathleen Pisano, MSN, RN, CNL, was appointed Nurse Executive of the VA Wilkes-Barre health care system on July 31, 2023. Ms. Pisano began her career in 2005 as a VA Learning Opportunity

Residency (VALOR) nurse extern and accepted a permanent position in the Intensive Care Unit at Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center upon graduation from the University of Scranton.  She has held

various staff nurse roles and began her leadership journey in 2014 as the Nurse Manager and Program Director of Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC). While there, she expanded HBPC’s footprint to

the Medical Center’s rural catchment areas.  In 2019, Ms. Pisano was appointed Chief of Community Care Service where she was responsible for various large-scale roll outs such as the VA

Maintaining Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act implementation and Referral Coordination Initiative. She is a graduate of the Health Care Leadership

Development Program and served a detail assignment as WBVAMC’s Interim Chief of Quality Management Service. In addition to holding baccalaureate degrees in both English and Nursing, Ms.

Pisano was awarded a master’s degree in Nursing from Sacred Heart University.  She achieved certification as a Clinical Nurse Leader and has also completed a Nursing Management certificate

program through Penn State University.  In addition to her positions with VA, she has held an adjunct faculty position with a local community college.  Along with her membership on various

facility-based committees, Ms. Pisano has been appointed to National Integrated Veterans Care Strategy Action Teams, VISN Committees and Councils, and she has led VISN 4 Eastern Market

workgroups.  She has directed numerous process improvement projects and has developed practices adopted by her counterparts throughout the VISN.  She has also been responsible for

establishing and growing an extensive network of care providers both within the VISN and throughout the community.