Chief Advanced Practice Provider Officer
Debra "Deb" Fournier, MHCDS, MSN, APRN, ANP-BC, PMHNP-BC, is the Chief Advanced Practice Provider Officer (CAPPO) for Dartmouth Health, which she has held on an interim basis since October 2023.
In this role, Deb provides leadership and oversees the development of the clinical practice for all advanced practice providers (APP) working at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics, Cheshire Medical Center, and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. This includes physician assistants (PA) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs)—nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and certified registered nurse anesthetists.
Deb is responsible for setting the direction of APP practice, education, and professional development, working collaboratively with other senior leaders to advance the strategic priorities of Dartmouth Health and for ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centered care. She elevates the voice of our APPs and highlights their significant contributions to our care teams.
Deb joined DHMC in 2005 as a nurse practitioner in the Department of Community and Family Medicine, following more than a decade of work in community settings in our region focused on behavioral health, trauma, emergency services and care management. She has also been an instructor in Mental Health Nursing and Advanced Clinical Pharmacology at Colby Sawyer College, and an instructor at The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.
Since 2006, she has also practiced in the section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Surgery. Over the past eight years with the Department of Psychiatry, she has helped to add more than 30 APP positions. She has also been part of the executive leadership team at New Hampshire Hospital (Director of Quality Systems) where APPs are now able to practice at the very top of their license.
Deb received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Colby Sawyer College followed by a Master of Science in Nursing with specialties in psychiatry, mental health and adult primary care from the Yale School of Nursing. She also holds a Masters in Healthcare Delivery Science from Dartmouth College. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Nursing Practice at Colby Sawyer College.
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