mariama fofanah, msn, fnp-bc, rn

Mariama Fofanah is a highly respected Director of Nursing and Critical Care leader whose career reflects extraordinary dedication to patient safety, clinical excellence, and healthcare leadership. With nearly two decades of experience across major medical centers in New York, she has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to lead complex care teams, improve patient outcomes, and elevate the standard of critical care nursing.

As Director of Nursing for Critical Care Services at Harlem Hospital, Mariama provides clinical and operational leadership for multiple intensive care units, including a 14-bed MICU/SICU, 6-bed CCU, and a nationally recognized Silver Beacon Award-winning BICU. She is responsible for overseeing critical care operations, staff development, regulatory readiness, and quality improvement initiatives that directly impact patient survival and recovery. Her leadership ensures that the hospital meets and exceeds Joint Commission standards while maintaining a culture of safety, accountability, and excellence. 

Mariama is nationally recognized for her commitment to quality and documentation excellence. She led a system-wide initiative on titratable medication documentation, earning a Silver Award for Quality Improvement, significantly improving patient safety and medication accuracy across the hospital system. In recognition of her outstanding leadership, compassion, and influence on nursing practice, she was also awarded the prestigious DAISY Nurse Leader Award (2024–2025). 

Before becoming Director of Nursing, Mariama served as ICU Nurse Manager at BronxCare Health System, where she managed a 37-bed critical care unit comprising ICU and CCU beds. She led performance improvement programs, conducted over 100 staff evaluations, supported professional development, and ensured compliance with regulatory and safety standards. Her leadership was instrumental in maintaining continuity of care and improving nursing-sensitive outcome measures. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mariama worked on the front lines as an ICU Travel Nurse and Resource Manager, caring for critically ill patients, supporting overwhelmed teams, and ensuring families were kept informed during one of the most challenging periods in modern healthcare. Her calm leadership, clinical expertise, and emotional intelligence helped stabilize units and protect both patients and staff. 

Mariama’s clinical background is extensive and distinguished. She has served in intensive care and telemetry units at Mount Sinai, Montefiore Medical Center, BronxCare, and Harlem Hospital, where she managed ventilators, vasoactive drips, hemodynamic monitoring, cardiac telemetry, and rapid response situations. She is known for her advanced clinical judgment, meticulous documentation, and ability to mentor and train new nurses into high-performing critical care professionals. 

Beyond her leadership and clinical skill, Mariama is a multilingual healthcare professional, fluent in English, Spanish, French, Mandingo, Susu, and Fula, enabling her to communicate effectively with diverse patient populations and families in some of New York’s most culturally complex communities. 

Her academic achievements include a Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Summa Cum Laude), and an Associate Degree in Nursing. She holds FNP-BC, RN, ACLS, and BLS certifications and is an active member of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) and the American Nurses Association (ANA). 

Mariama Fofanah represents the highest standards of nursing leadership, patient advocacy, and professional excellence. Her career is defined by service, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to saving lives and strengthening healthcare systems. She is fully deserving of recognition for her outstanding contributions to critical care nursing, healthcare leadership, and patient safety.