Speakers
College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati
KDB and Associates Consulting Service LLC
With 40 years in health care, Karen Bankston, Ph.D., M.S.N., FACHE, is the Associate Dean for Clinical Practice, Partnership and Community Engagement of the College of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati. In this role she is responsible for developing and maintaining partnerships with nursing and other disciplines to provide cutting-edge innovative clinical experiences and community engagement for students in the College of Nursing. Additionally, she is the president and CEO of KDB and Associates Consulting Service, a company she founded after completing 5 years as the senior vice president/CEO of Drake Center, Inc., part of UC Health.. Dr. Bankston previously served as the senior vice president of external affairs for the Health Alliance responsible for local, state and federal government relations, community relations, marketing and public relations. She also served as the external affairs liaison to neighborhood councils, the Uptown Consortium, United Way and other community agencies, and oversaw the Health Alliance departments of community health and diversity.
Prior to that she held positions as vice president of operations/chief operating officer and vice president for patient care/chief nursing officer at University Hospital in Cincinnati. She served as associate dean of clinical services and clinical assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing and Health. She also held nursing and nurse manager positions at Western Reserve Care System in Youngstown, Ohio.
She is actively involved in numerous boards including the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Interact for Health, the Society for St. Vincent DePaul and the Urban League of Southwest Ohio.
Additionally, she is involved in the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Agenda 360, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee, having served as its chair; continues to volunteer in efforts supporting the need for care to the poor and in the development of young African-American professionals. She played a role in getting legislation changed for distribution of medication for the charitable pharmacy established by St. Vincent DePaul, and was a member of its founding board. She is founding chair and former member of the board of the Center for Closing the Health Gap and was responsible for the formation of this organization.
She has received numerous awards and honors, including: United Way James A. Hall Diversity Leadership Award 2010, University of Cincinnati Linda Bates Parker Legacy Award 2010, 2007 Corporate Woman of the Year–USA Regional Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce; 2001 YWCA Career Woman of Achievement Award; Business Courier Health Care Hero; Cincinnati Human Relations Pope Leadership Award; Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction Award, and Cincinnati YMCA Black Achiever. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Delta XI, International Nursing Honor Society and the Cincinnati Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. She is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati Class XXVII.
Dr. Bankston earned an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree from Youngstown State University, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Kent State University, and a doctoral degree (PhD) from the University of Cincinnati with a focus on administration and organizational behavior.