Natalia Cineas, BS ‘06

Natalia Cineas, DNP, MSM-N '09 (NYU Wagner), MBA, BS '06, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FADLN, serves as Senior Vice
President, Chief Nursing Executive and Co-Chair, Equity and Access Council for NYC Health +Hospitals. She is the clinical lead for the organization, responsible for directing more than 9,600 nurses as well as planning, overseeing and evaluating all aspects of clinical operations, services and nurse education. She also serves as co-chair of NYC Health + Hospitals’ Health Equity & Access Council. Previously, she held nursing leadership roles at New York City’s Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center New York Presbyterian Hospital. She holds a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare from Northern Arizona University’s W.A. Franke College of Business; a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from George Washington University, a Master of Science in Management and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stony Brook University. In 2021, she was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. She was recognized with the
Estelle Osborne Award in 2018.

Q: What do you believe is Estelle Osborne's legacy? Do you recall when you first learned about her?
A: I first learned about this amazing woman, Estelle Osborne, when I was a student at NYU. I would show up at the events, carrying my backpack, so that I could learn about the people receiving the awards; they were all really inspiring
individuals. I was honestly impressed by these people and their backgrounds, and wanted to emulate them.
Certainly at that time, I had no idea that one day I would be nominated and receive this prestigious award…but when
that day came in 2018, I happened to notice a young black girl with a backpack sitting in the audience. It felt like I had
really come full circle. When I think of Estelle Osborne, I think of a trailblazer, of someone who paved the way for generations of women of color to rise to the heights of the nursing profession. She fought for education, and for power, at a time when racial barriers prevented most African-American women from holding top positions in their field. Today, I’m a chief nursing executive at the nation’s largest municipal public health care system – and my position is emblematic of how Estelle Osborne fought for the nursing profession to be more inclusive. I feel that we all owe her a depth of gratitude.

Q: How did your experience at NYU Meyers shape your career and view of healthcare?
A: I have to say, going to NYU at that time really taught me the importance of being goal-oriented and working hard, harder than you may have thought possible, to reach those goals. At the time, I was working full time and going to nursing school part time. I knew I had to maintain a high grade point average in order to stay in the program, because it was the last part-time evening program at New York University. So failure simply wasn’t an option. That being said, my professors were really great, and truly prepared me with the skills and knowledge I needed to become a nurse.
In terms of shaping my view of healthcare, my experiences at NYU really instilled in me the idea that you have to give
back. I received the Charles W. Greenidge Scholarship for a commitment to cardiovascular nursing, and that led me
straight into my career path, starting at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center as a clinical nurse in the critical care fellowship, continuing on to become a quality management specialist in cardio-thoracic
intensive care and patient care director in neurosurgical intensive care. My time at NYU also taught me that giving back takes many forms beyond just the workplace: I’ve continued to be involved in projects promoting cardiovascular health throughout my career. For example, I have been on the New York City Board of the American Heart Association since 2019, and have served as board president since 2023.
 

Q: What single piece of advice would you give to a student about to graduate from NYU Meyers?

A: I think I would pass along the best piece of advice that I received: when I was a student, I worked at the NYU Student Health Center, and my boss, Dr. Henry Chung, told me to learn as much as you possibly can after graduation. You need to seize the opportunities to learn, and be open to learning everything. I think that was a great piece of advice.
 

Q: What was your hardest day as a nurse?
A: I think the hardest days as a nurse are when your personal life collides with your professional life. To cite some
examples, I remember caring for my hairdresser’s husband who passed away; caring for my girlfriend’s father, who had a stroke in the shower and was burned by hot water; and then caring for the sister of a junior high school friend, it was just terrible when the sister passed away in ICU. Those were all really hard days. At the same time, however, these types of situations teach you compassion and caring, because you realize that all patients are connected to families, and friends. And you learn to care for patients as if they are your own family.
 

Q: What barriers/challenges do you still face as a nurse of color? Have you seen things evolve during your career?
A: I would say that all people of color, nurses included, still face micro-aggressions in the workplace today, but I wouldn’t say that these represented the main barriers and challenges that I have had to face in my career. The more pressing challenges have come from my age, being younger than most people in similar executive roles. People don’t always take ageism as seriously as other forms of implicit bias, but ageism can create significant challenges in terms of corporate culture.

Q: What was your favorite place on campus?
A: The Kimmel Center was my favorite place on campus, because it was a beautiful space and I enjoyed the atmosphere. The Kimmel Center was where I decided to pursue a career in nursing administration.
 

Q: What's on your desk right now?
A: On my desk now is a new book that I’ve been reading, “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins. It is a really good book, and talks about how you can silence the noise from other people; how to stop worrying about other people’s opinions and drama. It talks about living your life for you, and not for other people. I’m really enjoying it.
 

Q: Who was your favorite professor and why?
A: Dr. Fidelindo Lim was my favorite professor, and he is still there. He actually also teaches for us in our NYC Health + Hospitals’ Nurse Residency Program, sharing the amazing work he does on caring for LGBTQIA+ patients. He was my lab instructor at NYU and he really made learning fun; he taught me a lot about patient-centered care.