Service Line Coordinator for Periop Quality Safety and Education
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Shawnte' K. Christmas, BSN, RN, Service Line Coordinator for Quality and Education for the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, has spent 26 years in the operating room. She started as a surgical tech in 1996 and by 1998 was driving four hours round-trip from Philadelphia to Baltimore daily to work at Johns Hopkins University. For two years. She did it to learn from the best and build a foundation that would carry her career.
In 2000, she brought that expertise to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation's premier academic medical centers. She advanced her clinical journey by entering the Nurse Seedling Program, earning a nursing degree, and transitioning into a career in Operating Room Nursing, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree with anticipated completion later this year.
Over 26 years at Penn, Shawnte has scrubbed and circulated across most specialties. She's mentored countless staff and now serves as the Service Line Coordinator for Quality and Education, a newly created role that bridges bedside practice and leadership. Shawnte brings a unique, comprehensive perspective to perioperative practice. Her foundational training as an OR Technologist has fundamentally shaped her nursing career, fostering a collaborative awareness that enhances teamwork, patient safety, and operational excellence in the OR.
She was a member of Penn's first Unit Council and Count Task Force. Dedicated to paying it forward, she self-funds eight days in Guatemala, providing surgery for women and children with no other access to care.
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
1090 - No More Left Behind: The Countdown to Safer Surgeries Starts Here
Saturday, April 11, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM CST