Veteran nurse and executive brings expertise to the Board

From the time she was a young girl, Gemma Seidl, RN, MSN, MPH, PHN, knew her destiny. “I thought, ‘I want to be a nurse. I know I want to take care of patients,’” she remembered.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Gemma was the youngest of nine — seven brothers and one sister. “That made me
driven,” she said with a laugh. Already practicing as a neonatal nurse, she came to the United States in 1995. Gemma quickly found work at a hospital in Los Angeles, where she served for 13 years, five of those as Chief Nursing Officer.

Later, when she was working on her master’s degree at Cal State Fullerton, a professor recommended Providence St. Joseph Hospital, knowing that she would be drawn to the culture of a faith-based health care organization. Gemma jumped at the chance, joining Providence St. Joseph as nurse manager for the 52-bed critical care unit in 2008. 

Over her 30-year career, she has been recognized as an authority on sepsis, critical care and nursing leadership; she has also done extensive work on accreditation. Gemma has been
nominated several times for Providence St. Joseph’s Values in Action (VIA) awards, and was the VIA Excellence honoree in 2014.

Today, Gemma serves not only as the hospital’s executive director of acute care services, nursing operations and clinical
informatics systems, but also as a vital member of the Foundation Board. “As a board member and caregiver, I’m front and center on the needs of the hospital and the population we serve,” explained Gemma. 

Gemma’s presence on the Board helps provide donors with a clinical perspective — sharing a patient experience, the need for new equipment or the impact of caregiver scholarships. “One of my goals is to share feedback on what the Foundation Board has supported at the hospital and to ensure that their purchases are being used to save patient lives and improve caregiver work environments,” she noted.

She is also serving as honorary chair of the 2021 Celebration, which will raise funds for the hospital’s new Progressive Care Unit.

According to Gemma, philanthropy is essential to ensuring that Providence St. Joseph thrives. “I am glad and blessed to be a part of Providence St. Joseph,” she smiled.