As the first nurse to serve on the board of trustees at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Aline Holmes (DNP, RN) is playing a vital role in a national movement to place more nurses on the boards of local, state, and national organizations that affect health care policy and practice.  

“I was honored to be asked to join the board; my first board meeting was this past September,” said Holmes, an associate professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing. “I know from previous board experience that—as a nurse—I will be able to make a meaningful impact at Princeton Health.”  

Based in central New Jersey, Princeton Health includes Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro and offers acute care, behavioral health care, acute rehabilitation, home care, hospice care, ambulatory surgery, fitness, and wellness services at several locations.  

Holmes is no stranger to hospitals or boards. Before joining the nursing faculty at Rutgers, she served 16 years as senior vice president of clinical affairs and directed the innovation and improvement network at the New Jersey Hospital Association—a trade organization of more than 400 health care institutions.  

Holmes’ contributions to end-of-life care reform and patient safety initiatives created strong professional ties with colleagues at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, who recognized the value of her expertise and advocated for her appointment to its board. 

“Having nurses on boards who can decisively contribute to discussions around safety and quality, workforce issues, and the use of evidenced-based change strategies to address nursing shortage issues is so important in redesigning our health care delivery system,” Holmes said. 

Her additional leadership roles include board member and education committee chair at the American College of Medical Quality. She also is a governor-appointed member of the New Jersey Department of Health’s Quality Improvement Advisory Committee and a member of the New Jersey Advisory Commission on the Status of Women. She served 10 years on the board of Visiting Nurse Association Health Group.  

Rutgers School of Nursing is committed to advancing nurses’ influence across health care environments and supports the mission of the Nurses on Boards Coalition, Holmes noted. The coalition aims to improve the health of communities through nurses’ service on corporate, health-related, and other boards, panels, and commissions.