Summary
Kathleen A. Mau (Burns), DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, ACCNS-AG, NEA-BC, CEN, CHSE, is Senior Director for Cleveland Clinic’s Simulation and Advanced Skills Center. She is responsible for providing direction, leadership and strategic vision to simulation programs in Ohio and Florida and directs the global alignment of practices across all health system simulation programs. With more than 35 years of experience in the nursing profession, Dr. Mau understands the complexities of healthcare today and the skills needed for caregivers to excel. Her clinical background includes emergency and medical-surgical nursing as a clinical nurse, nurse educator, and clinical nurse specialist. As Sr. Director for Nursing Education, Dr. Mau co-developed the assistant nurse manager residency program, executive nurse fellowship program, and career pathways for nurses and nursing support caregivers. These pathways provide caregivers with immediate access to professional development resources. She also led the health system’s professional development council and consulted to international healthcare organizations on nursing education and professional development.
Among her many career accomplishments, Dr. Mau developed and directed Medina Hospital’s stroke program, which earned Primary Stroke Center certification by The Joint Commission. She led the development and implementation of the VitalScout™ early warning system for medical-surgical units, which received the 2020 Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare (PSQH) Innovation Award and the 2017 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence. Dr. Mau is a two-time recipient of Cleveland Clinic’s Nursing Innovation Award. She was recognized by the American Health Council as “America’s Best Nurse” for outstanding contributions to the nursing field. Additional honors include the Distinguished Alumni Award from Chamberlain College of Nursing and the Faces of Care Award from Cleveland Magazine and the Greater Cleveland Nurses Association. Dr. Mau served as chief nursing officer for the 2010 and 2013 National Boy Scout Jamboree and was a member of the Boy Scouts of America National Health and Safety Committee for 10 years.
Education
- DNP, Chamberlain University, Downers Grove, IL, 2015
- MSN, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 2011
- BSN, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, 1990 (magna cum laude)
Certifications
- Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), Society for Simulation in Healthcare
- Nurse Executive Advanced — Board Certified (NEA-BC), American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Change Leadership Practitioner Certification, Guidehouse
- Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adult/Gerontology, American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- Board Certified Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist (ACNS-BC), American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), Emergency Nurses Association
- Certified Medical-Surgical Nurse (RN-BC), American Nurses Credentialing Center
- Certified in Basic Disaster Life Support, National Disaster Life Support Foundation
- Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Trained
Contact information
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Avenue Hsb-135A
Cleveland, Ohio 44195
330.978.4892
mauk@ccf.org
Leadership
Dr. Mau’s leadership philosophy incorporates the principles of transformational and servant leadership to engage and empower team members to accomplish a shared vision. She seeks to foster a culture of trust while inspiring and motivating others to achieve their highest potential. Dr. Mau’s efforts to develop a robust nurse leader development program resulted in courses and programs designed to support nurse leaders at all levels of leadership. Throughout her career, Dr. Mau has been a recognized advocate for the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care. In her current role, she co-leads the Global Simulation Advisory Board and alignment and sharing of simulation best practices across the organization. She leads the simulation teams in Ohio and Florida and works to develop and implement new and innovative ways to use simulation education to support clinical competency and the delivery of safe patient care.
Clinical Practice & Teaching
Clinical practice
Dr. Mau’s clinical experience is in emergency, medical-surgical and telemetry nursing.
Teaching
Dr. Mau has developed curriculum and instructed courses on critical care practices, pharmacology, emergency preparedness and leadership development. She supported the onboarding and orientation for unlicensed nursing staff and designed programs and courses to meet the education and developmental needs of both new and experienced nurse leaders.
While serving as nursing professional development specialist at Medina Hospital, she was responsible for orienting, training and evaluating the competency of critical care and ED nursing staff. She was also a clinical preceptor for new nursing staff and nursing students. In her current role, she supports a team of 34 caregivers in Ohio and Florida who work with clinical faculty and educators to schedule, develop, implement, and debrief simulation-based courses. She also co-leads alignment of simulation best practices across the organization, ensuring international locations in London and Abu Dhabi have the resources needed to conduct simulation education according to standards of best practice.
Research & Publications
Mau has presented at local, national and international conferences on topics such as simulation education and leadership, quality and patient safety, stroke, early warning systems and professional development. Her publication contributions include strategies for reducing barriers for RN-BSN education, research findings related to her work on an enhanced early warning system, and articles on nurse leader development and career pathways.
Professional Involvement
- Program Evaluator, National Leagues for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation
- Member, Society for Simulation in Healthcare
- Member, American College of Surgeons
- Member, International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning
Honors & Awards
- Quality and Safety Challenge Winner (SASC Project: Decreasing Preventable Harm Through In Situ Simulation), American College of Surgeons and American Society of Anesthesiologists, 2025
- Innovation Award, Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare (PSQH) Innovation Award, 2020
- Nursing Innovation Inventory Award, Cleveland Clinic, 2019, 2016
- America’s Best Nurse Award (Outstanding Contributions to the Nursing Field), American Health Council, 2018
- Nursing Leadership Award, Cleveland Clinic Nursing Institute, 2013
- Faces of Care Award, Cleveland Magazine and Greater Cleveland Nurses Association, 2011
- Cameos of Caring Award, Sponsored by the University of Akron, 2010
- Clinical Excellence in Nursing Project Award, MetroHealth Medical Center, 1992
- Dr. Mau has also led Cleveland Clinic in receipt of the following honors:
- Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare (PSQH) Innovation Award for VitalScout, Best Healthcare Quality Innovation Case Study, 2020
- HIMSS Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence for VitalScout, Excellence for Health Care Technology Innovations that are Improving Patient Outcomes, 2017
