Leadership

Leading the Profession

At Lurie Children's, our nurses are not only leaders within the hospital but also inspire and make an impact beyond their clinical roles. Through advocacy, mentorship, and professional leadership, three Lurie Children’s nursing leaders—Zeh Wellington, Lauren Sorce and Karen Richey—drive positive change in healthcare and the nursing profession locally and statewide as well as nationally and internationally.

Since 2023, W. Zeh Wellington, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Director of Procedural Care, Surgical Services, has served as the President of the American Nurses Association of Illinois (ANA Illinois), representing nearly 5,200 nurse members in ANA Illinois and being a voice for more than 300,000 nurses in the state. Wellington is the first working clinician to be appointed President of ANA Illinois. Additionally, Wellington serves on the National American Nurses Association’s Board (elected to the Leadership Council Executive Committee) representing 5.2 million nurses across the nation. In these roles, Wellington promotes initiatives that address critical nursing issues such as workforce shortages, workplace violence, education and well-being.

Wellington serves as a spokesperson of ANA Illinois to guide policy and advocacy issues on a state and national level. As the Chairperson of ANA Illinois’ membership assembly and serving on the Board of Directors as well as an executive member of the Legislative and Finance Committees, Wellington is deeply committed to advancing the profession and fostering unity among nurses. He is also a staunch advocate for nursing education and sits on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Nurses’ Foundation (INF), the arm of ANA Illinois that promotes nursing scholarships, grants, leadership, and education. Wellington’s leadership involves guiding student nurses at key advocacy events like Student Nurse Advocacy Day and Nurses' Day at the Capitol in both Springfield and Washington, D.C. As a recognized author and keynote speaker, he contributes valuable insights on nursing and leadership through national conferences and professional journals. In these leadership roles, Wellington advances the nursing profession through efforts focused on growing membership, expanding ANA Illinois, and ensuring that at every level the voices of nurses are heard.

Lauren Sorce, PhD, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC, FCCM, FAAN, Founders’ Board Nurse Scientist and Senior Scientist, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine at Lurie Children’s, as well as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, served as the President of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) from January 2024 through February 2025 and is now the Immediate Past President of SCCM. Prior to her presidency, she held the positions of Treasurer and then President-Elect for SCCM. Sorce was the co-vice chair of the SCCM Task Force for Pediatric Sepsis Definition and part of a group of clinician-scientists from Lurie Children’s tasked to develop and validate new data-based criteria for sepsis in children. The new pediatric sepsis criteria – called the Phoenix criteria – follow the paradigm shift in the recent adult criteria that define sepsis as severe response to infection involving organ dysfunction, as opposed to an earlier focus on systemic inflammation. These new criteria and their development were presented in two papers published in JAMA in January 2024 and concurrently announced at the SCCM Critical Care Congress in Phoenix, Arizona. The JAMA article was the most viewed article for the publication in 2024. Sorce has represented Lurie Children’s both nationally and internationally advocating and speaking on sepsis awareness. In 2024, Sorce was invited to, and participated in, a White House expert panel on sepsis.

Additionally, Sorce travels extensively around the world as an invited speaker and expert in her field on a variety of topics including critical care, team collaboration to maximize outcomes, and the microbiome. In 2024, Sorce traveled to 13 countries and four continents to represent Lurie Children’s Advanced Practice Providers.

Karen Richey, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, Associate Chief Nursing Officer, Inpatient Services, was appointed by Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation Secretary Mario Treto, Jr. to its Nursing Workforce Center Advisory Board. Her term began in December 2023 and will extend through December 2027. In this external leadership role, Richey is actively involved in shaping the strategic direction of the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC), which addresses critical issues such as the recruitment, retention, and utilization of nursing professionals in the state. The Board provides expert advice on the development of a strategic plan to address nursing manpower needs and fosters collaboration among diverse groups, including nurses, healthcare providers, legislators, educators, and businesses. Additionally, the Board works on improving systemic changes, promoting recognition and renewal initiatives for nurses, and advancing the positive public image of the nursing profession. Currently, Richey is helping lead efforts to incorporate focused strategies to improve diversity within the nursing workforce in Illinois, further enhancing the state's nursing landscape.

In-House Dialysis Program Expands Care Capabilities

As the acute dialysis field has continued to evolve, advance in technology and treat a wider variety of patients, Lurie Children’s recognized the need for its own dedicated acute dialysis provider team and on-site equipment. The hospital drew on the expertise of an Advanced Practice Provider in Nephrology, Theresa Mottes, MSN, APRN-NP, CPNP-AC, CDN, to establish ADAPT (Acute Dialysis and Pheresis Therapies).

Mottes was integral in transitioning Lurie Children’s from its previously outsourced care model to the 100 percent in-house program with 24/7 nursing coverage that it is today. ADAPT is available around the clock for any patient who needs a dialysis procedure, as well as patients receiving continuous dialysis.

To achieve this independent operation, Lurie Children’s hired a group of new nurses dedicated to dialysis procedures, and acquired its own inventory of dialysis equipment. With tremendous support from an external healthcare technology management service, Theresa helped train the staff on acute dialysis therapies and the new machinery in less than six months. Since launching in 2022, an intentionally staffed team and its ownership of seven dialysis devices have allowed for more tailored therapies and expanded care for a broader range of patient populations at Lurie Children’s. ADAPT allows Lurie Children’s to “provide the right therapy to the right patient at the right time,” says Mottes, including the tiniest patients – neonates and infants.

Arlo is an example of a life saved due to this evolution of care. Born out of state at 32 weeks, weighing just 3.3 pounds, Arlo wasn’t big enough to receive the emergency dialysis he needed at his home institution. His final hope was transferring to Lurie Children’s where a team of interventional radiology, nephrology and neonatology specialists were confident they could care for Arlo – and they were right. The life-saving dialysis Arlo received at Lurie Children’s gave him the strength to eventually transition care back to Ohio. Just a few months later, at 5 months of age he was officially discharged home for the first time since birth.

Under Motte’s leadership, ADAPT has grown from five full-time employees to 12 in two years. In addition to offering tailored treatment to the NICU, they also have capabilities to offer aquapheresis and plasmapheresis therapies, with plans to expand both. In 2022, prior to the independent launch, the Division of Nephrology completed 2,521 dialysis treatments. Within two years, ADAPT saw a 40 percent increase in care, providing 3,542 treatments in 2024. To date, Lurie Children’s is the only children’s hospital in Illinois with a dedicated pediatric acute dialysis/pheresis team that operates in-house 24/7.

“I’ve been in the dialysis field for 30 years and in the last few years it’s been phenomenal to watch it finally expand to meet the needs of the patients,” says Mottes. “My greatest pride has been mentoring and leading a brand-new group of nursing staff into this field. It’s rewarding to watch them embrace new technology and grow in their skill sets and see their willingness to provide this important care.”