Dr. Jerrihlyn L. McGee is a nurse and clinical associate professor at KU School of Nursing, she is also the inaugural vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion & chief diversity officer for the University of Kansas Medical Center (KU Medical Center).

Dr. McGee earned her first bachelor’s from Xavier University of New Orleans, LA, and her second bachelor’s, a master’s, and a doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Nursing in Kansas City, KS.

With significant history of leadership in the practice and academic settings, Dr. McGee has led sustainable change by improving patient outcomes, increasing staff satisfaction scores, and developing courses and programs. Dr. McGee’s scholarly works have focused on civility, healthy work environment, cultural competency/humility, underrepresented students’ perceptions of nursing as a career, perceptions of health in urban settings, and health and educational equity. These inquiries have afforded her opportunities to present locally, nationally, and globally facilitating seminars, webinars, and workshops about leadership, fostering healthy work environments, bullying, unconscious bias, micro- and macroaggressions, and emotional intelligence. Dr. McGee’s community work in the Greater Kansas City area is extensive ranging from coordinating and participating in community health events, to professional development initiatives, and serving as a board of director for the REACH Healthcare Foundation. Dr. McGee is listed as an author in the 2019 State of Black Kansas City report. She delivered the keynote address at the 2020 Clinical Laboratory Science Educators’ Conference in Orlando, FL., and most recently sought out to present at the American Speech–Language–Hearing Association’s 2021 Convention about organizational culture and explicit exclusionary practices. Dr. McGee has recently been sought out for a 2022 global webinar presentation on Learning from Leaders in Nursing Education.

As a courageous leader and visionary, Dr. McGee has led developments of a new diversity, equity, and inclusion framework and strategic initiatives for KU Medical Center. While celebrating our differences, Dr. McGee strives to build a sense of community, belonging and unity for all learners, employees, and partners on all KU Medical Centers campuses and surrounding communities. “This [DEI] is hard work, and it truly takes all of us to continue moving the needle. To achieve representation of diverse groups, a conducive therapeutic environment is essential for people to thrive. As a collaborative, we can partner in these efforts to attract, recruit and retain the best to our region.”