Kelly Aldrich

Kelly Aldrich, DNP, MS, RN, is a Professor and Director of Informatics Innovation at Vanderbilt School of Nursing with a secondary appointment in Biomedical Informatics. Board-certified in Nursing Informatics, she brings over 35 years of expertise spanning cardiac/trauma critical care, healthcare transformation leadership, and academic innovation. Dr. Aldrich holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice and MS in Healthcare Systems Leadership/Nursing Informatics from the University of South Florida.

Her research focuses on:

• Healthcare interoperability and trusted data architectures
• Virtual environments for nurse well-being (MIND Lab)
• Unique nurse identifiers and digital RN citizen models
• Clinical informatics integration in operations and education

Her recent publications emphasize nursing informatics education, AI in healthcare, interoperability frameworks, and pandemic-response technologies. Publication trends show growing focus on immersive learning technologies and systemic healthcare solutions.

Significant honors include:

• Sara K. Archer Faculty Award (2023, 2021)
• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (2022)
• Dean's Award for Informatics Achievement (2021)
• HIMSS Fellow

She leads industry initiatives including HHS/ONC interoperability task forces, Baxter Healthcare Digital Health advisory, and CDC Healthcare Trust Data Platforms. Dr. Aldrich founded an informatics consulting firm and serves on multiple national cybersecurity and innovation committees.