Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Support Services, Cancer Division
Amber Nealy, DNP, R.N., NE-BC, recently took on the role of Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Supportive Services, Cancer Division at OU Health, bringing with her a deep connection to OU Health and a strong love for nursing. Her mother worked as a nurse in the emergency department of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital OU Health in the late 80s, and later worked at OU Health Physicians Family Medicine Clinic until retiring in 2020. Nealy followed in her mother’s footsteps and started working for OU Health in 2008.
From Learner to Leader
But Nealy’s path to OU Health started as a learner at the flagship academic health system. In high school, Nealy participated in a program through OU Health Sciences that helped students transition into a career in healthcare. While Nealy knew she wanted to work in healthcare, she wasn’t sure in which role. Initially her instructor recommended she consider becoming a surgeon, but Nealy knew that wasn’t what she wanted to do.
“In our program, we were shadowing physicians in the family medicine clinic, and we were able to watch minor procedures,” recalls Nealy. “A patient was having his ingrown toenail removed, and during the procedure, my best friend fainted and my brother thought the whole thing was cool. All I could think about was how the patient needed his pain to be managed better.”
For Nealy, it was a natural progression that she
would go from the health sciences program to college, and then onto a career with OU Health. She didn’t want to leave the state for college or work at another hospital. She knew she wanted to work at OU Health, just like her mother.
Nealy studied nursing at Langston University and started working as a nurse partner in the OU Health Inpatient Adult Medicine Specialty Unit in 2008. Since then, she has held various roles including as a clinical R.N., clinical supervisor, and clinical manager, and has also served as the director of operations in Adult Endoscopy. Nealy chaired the Nursing Ancillary and Advisory Council for Epic Implementation and participated
in numerous other committees. She is a certified Nurse Executive by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
In May 2025, Nealy earned her doctorate through the OU Health Nursing Degree Accelerator Program, further solidifying her expertise and commitment to nursing excellence. The program, offered in partnership with the University of Oklahoma Fran and Earl Ziegler College of Nursing, invests in the career development of OU Health nurses and advances healthcare in the state and beyond by establishing seamless academic progression pathways. After just six months of employment at OU Health, R.N.s and LPNs can further their education and career trajectory while receiving complete financial support through the OU College of Nursing.
