Christine Mckenna MSN, CPNP-PC, CPNP-AC

Chris McKenna has spent her entire 31 years+ nursing career caring for pediatric trauma patients. She graduated with her BSN from Indiana University in Bloomington, IN and obtained her initial staff nurse experience on the pediatric surgery/trauma unit at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Chris then obtained her Masters of Science in acute care pediatric nursing from Boston College, and worked as the pediatric trauma coordinator in three hospitals with combined adult and pediatric trauma programs- the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, MA and Allegheny General Hospital and Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA. Chris graduated from the pediatric nurse practitioner program at the University of Pittsburgh in 1997 and is board certified as both a pediatric primary and acute care nurse practitioner. She was the first nurse practitioner hired by the Division of Pediatric Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and has worked for the trauma program there since 2002, first as a nurse practitioner, then as a trauma coordinator, and finally as the trauma program manager since 2006.

Ms. McKenna co-edited the first edition of the textbook Nursing Care of the General Pediatric Surgical Patient and is the co-author of the most recent chapter on Pediatric Trauma. Chris still provide patient care as a trauma nurse practitioner and lives by the mantra of "do the right thing for the patient and family”. She is thrilled to be able to share her clinical knowledge and experience with new and seasoned nurses through the PCAR course.