Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s executive leadership team announces new Chief Nursing Officer

Veteran nursing leader joins Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi from the U.S.

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, a Mubadala Health partner, has appointed Elizabeth Govero, who brings over 20 years of clinical nursing and leadership experience, as their new Chief Nursing Officer. 

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Govero served as the Vice President of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer at SSM St. Mary’s Hospital in Missouri. Her accomplishments include building and leading a nursing team of 900, leading organization-wide transitions for new system rollouts and implementing various prominent educational institutes and programs. In her recent roles, she was able to reduce nurse turnover from 35 percent to 15 percent in a period of six months and improve colleague engagement from 76 percent to 93 percent in one year. Having worked across various multi-specialty healthcare organizations, she is an expert in inpatient nursing, critical care, telemedicine and patient satisfaction.

Dr. Jorge Guzman, the CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi says, “We are excited to welcome Elizabeth’s exceptional professionalism to our leadership team. We have full confidence that she will build on the expertise at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as we continue setting the regional standard in patient-centered, compassionate healthcare. I look forward to seeing the contribution she makes to the caregiver family and our patients as we work together to address the complex and critical care needs of our communities, the UAE and the region.”

On her appointment, Govero said, “Being selected for this highly responsible role at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is a remarkable milestone in my career, and I am truly proud and privileged to have been chosen to serve on this esteemed management team. I look forward to serving this distinguished facility for many years to come.” 

Govero obtained her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Healthcare and Nursing Administration and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Southern Illinois University. She is a Certified Med-Surgical Registered Nurse. She has many peer-reviewed publications and has been a part of several conference presentations.