Dr. Tru Byrnes is a Geriatric Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) at Atrium Health. She received her BSN from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC), MSN at Queens University at Charlotte, DNP in leadership from the UNCC. She recently completed a Master of Science in Translational Health System Science and a post-doctoral fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine. She is a certified CNL, Gerontological Nursing, Medical-Surgical Nursing, and LEAN. Dr. Byrnes applied the LEAN methodology to improve nursing care delivery, increase HCAHPS patient experience scores, reduce length of stay, and delirium prevention for hospitalized older adults. She led an interdisciplinary team which developed education, rounds, and an evidence-based tool to identify and prevent delirium. As a NICHE program coordinator, she provides continued support and disseminates geriatric education to clinical nurses. 

She received numerous awards throughout her nursing career. Some of her recognitions include: the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina, NICHE-ABIM Foundation Choosing Wisely: Clinical Innovation Award, and a Touchstone award. 

In addition to her CNL practice, Dr. Byrnes enjoys teaching as a professor at Northeastern and Queens Universities.