HONOLULU – The Queen’s Health System (QHS) has announced the appointments of a new vice president and a new senior director.
Linda Puu has been named Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety at QHS.
Puu is responsible for developing and implementing business and strategic plans to meet the goals and objectives of QHS as they relate to the clinical practice of quality and patient safety. She will have a focus on improving patient outcomes, endorsing and sharing evidence-based care, reducing risks, eliminating errors, implementing best practices and national initiatives, monitoring compliance in accordance with accreditation/regulatory services, supporting knowledge of the key principles of High Reliability, and leading organizational change.
Puu has more than 35 years of experience as a nurse and nurse leader with a clinical background in critical care and telemetry. She most recently served as vice president of Quality, Safety and Care Experience at Kaiser Permanente Hawaiʻi. Prior to that, she was a chief nursing executive, hospital administrator, associate chief nursing officer, and director of specialty nursing at Kaiser.
Puu earned a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix, and has completed the Harvard Business School Executive Leadership Program.
Darryn Dunbar, DNP, APRN, CNM, NEA-BC, has been promoted to Senior Director of Nursing Administration and Throughput at The Queen’s Medical Center (QMC).
In new his role, Dunbar provides leadership over departments, programs, functions and activities related to staffing, float teams, disaster manpower planning and nursing payroll. He also has system-wide accountability for Patient Flow, Bed Control and the Transfer Call Center, establishing effective throughput strategies to support reduction in hospital length of stay.
Dunbar previously served as Director of Critical Care Services at The Queen’s Medical Center – West Oʻahu, where he was responsible for the oversight and strategic leadership of the services, programs, functions and activities of the Emergency Department, the Intensive Care Unit and the Crisis Response Team. He has held a variety of leadership positions, including Director of Online Nursing and BSN Completion Programs at Stratford University, and Director of Nursing and Patient Care Services at Johns Hopkins Medicine at Sibley Memorial Hospital.
Dunbar has Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Nursing, and is certified as an Advanced Nurse Executive and Nurse-Midwife.
