Linda Paradiso

Linda Paradiso (she/her) is a three-time CUNY graduate and proud CUNY alum. Her entire nursing career, of more than 40 years, has been spent in the public sector caring for people who are under-served, marginalized, and stigmatized. She is a board-certified nurse executive at the advanced level with a specialty in psychiatric nursing. As a senior hospital administrator she was responsible for daily and strategic clinical operations for nursing departments in several NYC hospital systems. While in these positions she fostered cohesive and collaborative inter-disciplinary relationships while ensuring a Just Culture in every organization.

Linda is an Associate Professor and full-time faculty member of the Nursing Department at CUNY School of Professional Studies. Her research interests include Just Culture, patient safety, empowerment, developing trust, and the importance of self-care. She has presented nationally and published articles related to these topics and more. She is also a regulatory consultant for several New York City hospitals, helping to create best practices in nursing care, data analysis, and performance improvement. Professional memberships include the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, American Psychiatric Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society, Transcultural Nurses Association, and several other organizations. As a volunteer, she is a member of the Vibrant Emotional Health Disaster and Crisis Response Advisory Committee and is a board member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association New York Chapter. Past awards include the 2017 DNP Advocacy Award – from Old Dominion University and the 2008 Outstanding Contribution to Professional Nursing Award – from Sigma Theta Tau International, Mu Upsilon Chapter.

On a personal note, Linda embraces life-long learning and is an avid listener of podcasts, audiobooks, and The New York Times Audio. She loves walking, hiking, cooking, playing very bad golf, and attending all kinds of theater. She identifies as female, is married, and a proud parent of two adult children and a rescue Chihuahua. As a self-care advocate, Linda schedules daily activities and shares the following recommendation: We all wear multiple hats in our lives. We are people before we are nurses. We are individuals who are parents, partners, children, siblings, friends, colleagues, students, shoppers, diners, commuters, teachers, citizens, activists, advocates, and most of all humans. For all these reasons and more, self-care is important and we must eat healthy, move daily, and sleep restfully. We must schedule time each day (even just 2 minutes) to free our minds from everything and breathe. Care for yourself as you care for others, not instead of, but with. Self-care is not indulgent, it is energizing. Self-care is not selfish, it is vital.

• DNP, Old Dominion University
• MS, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing
• BS, The College of Staten Island
• AAS, The College of Staten Island