Donna McCarten White is the Addiction Specialist for the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, a Public Health Hospital for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is the former Chief Operating Officer and Nurse Executive at Worcester State Hospital. In addition, she was the Director of Nurses and the Director of Chemical Dependency Services and the Dual Diagnosis Program at Pembroke Psychiatric Hospital.
She is a graduate of Boston City Hospital School of Nursing and earned a BSN from Curry College in 1985. In addition, she holds an MSN from the University of Massachusetts/Boston, is a licensed drug and alcohol counselor with an additional certification in advanced Drug and Alcohol Counseling, is certified in Chemical Dependency and Addictions Nursing, and is certified by the ANCC as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Public Health Nursing.
Dr. White is the 2006 recipient of the Peer Assistance Award from IntNSA and was recently inducted as a Board Certified Fellow at the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. In 2007, she was the first recipient of the Fong-Bressler Award for Outstanding Preceptorship in the Graduate Nursing Program for the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. MNA awarded her the Addictions Nursing Award in 2009. In October, 2010, she was recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with the award of Champion of Public Health. In May, 2011, she was awarded the Nancy Valentine Leadership Award from the New England Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association and in 2013, she was voted Mentor of the Year by the International Nurses Society on Addiction Nurses. Most recently, she was given the Heart of Nursing Award from the University of Massachusetts/Boston Sigma Theta Tau Chapter. She is the recipient of many Community Awards and nominations.
Dr. White is the statewide Chairperson of the Massachusetts Nurses Association Addictions Council, is certified by the Green Cross Foundation as an educator and therapist in Compassion Fatigue concerns and is a specialist in Addictive Disorders, Compassion Fatigue and Vicarious Traumatization in Healthcare Professionals. In addition, She is a member of the International Trauma Specialists Dr. White is a Clinical Instructor for Boston Area Colleges of Nursing...graduate NP programs as well as baccalaureate level for Community Health Clinical work and is a Visiting Scholar for local Colleges of Nursing. In addition, she provides oversight for the clinical practicums of counseling students and consults to department chairs for all medical/professional clinical experience rotations at the Shattuck Hospital. She has lectured at many facilities and agencies and is a recognized leader in the field of Addictions, Impaired Practice and Peer Assistance, as well as Healthcare Professional Stress.