Carla D. Sanderson, PhD, RN, FAAN
Since her appointment as provost of Chamberlain University in 2017, Carla D. Sanderson has worked to ensure Chamberlain students receive the highest quality education programming possible. Sanderson first joined Chamberlain in 2014 as vice president for accreditation and professional regulation. In that capacity, she supported program compliance with nursing and higher education boards in all 50 states and was responsible for meeting regional and program accreditation requirements in the fields of nursing, public health and social work
Before coming to Chamberlain, Sanderson served as provost and executive vice president for strategic initiatives at Union University for 16 years. During that time, she oversaw growth in faculty and student body populations and increased graduation rates and student and faculty retention. She so distinguished herself at Union that her work and career are recognized through the school’s Carla D. Sanderson Faculty of the Year Award and the Carla D. Sanderson Endowed Scholarship.
Sanderson began her professional life as a critical care nurse before becoming a nursing professor and then dean of nursing at Union. In her long career, she has served as a leadership development mentor and nursing education consultant for multiple universities and as a board member and committee chair in the healthcare, higher education, regulation, public policy and leadership development fields, including on the board of trustees for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern College of Optometry.
In recognition of her accomplishments, Sanderson has received the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Meritorious Service Award, distinguished alumni awards from Baptist College of Health Sciences and Union University and a faculty of the year award from Union University.
Sanderson earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Union University, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee and her PhD in Nursing Sciences from the University of Florida.
Selected Publications
with Joseph, M. L., & Benson, L. (2020). Building a healthier America: Transforming health and healthcare during and after a pandemic. Lippincott Nursing Center Blog. https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/may-2020/building-a-healthier-america-transforming-health-a
with Cox, K., & Disch, J. (2020). Virtual nursing, virtual learning. Nurse Leader, 18(2), 134–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2019.12.005
Evolving our culture of care. (2018). In S. L. Groenwald (Ed.), Designing and creating a culture of care for students and faculty: The Chamberlain University College of Nursing model (pp. 95–110). Wolters Kluwer.
Ethical and bioethical issues in nursing and health care. (2017). In B. Cheery (Ed.), Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends and management (pp. 166–182). Mosby[SCD1] .
with Mitchell, C. B., Thornbury, G. A., & Dockery, D. S. (Eds.). (2015). Convictional civility: Engaging the culture in the 21st century. Essays in honor of David S. Dockery. B & H Academic.
Interviews, Presentations and Appearances
Clinician well-being: Chamberlain President Karen Cox and Provost Carla Sanderson [Video]. (2020). Cox and Sanderson discuss the moral and ethical challenges facing health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fim-M3Je54
Building a healthier America: Transforming health and healthcare during and after a pandemic. (2020). AARP Executive Council WebChat, Washington, D.C. https://www.nursingcenter.com/ncblog/may-2020/building-a-healthier-america-transforming-health-a
with Hollinger-Smith, L., & Scott, C. (2019, April 5–9). Guiding student success through performance modeling [Paper presentation]. Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, United States.
with Hollinger-Smith, L. (2018, September 12–14). Implementing a co-curricular model to promote nursing students’ learning outcomes and program success [Paper presentation]. National League for Nursing Annual Summit, Chicago, IL, United States.