Susan S. Spinner, MSN, RN

Susan S. Spinner, MSN, RN, is the Senior Director, Clinical and Research Programs, for the Richard D. Wood Jr. Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment (CFDT) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She holds the Lori J. Howell Endowed Directorship.

Susan joined the CFDT in 2011 as an Advanced Practice Nurse and Fetal Therapy Coordinator to work with Lori J. Howell, DNP, MS, RN, one of the co-founders of the CFDT. Susan shares Lori’s passion for ensuring every family has access to care. Their mutual devotion to this goal was instrumental in developing the role of the fetal therapy coordinator. Susan was promoted to Lead Fetal Therapy Coordinator in 2014, and then to Senior Manager of Clinical Program Operations and Research in 2019.

In her role , Susan strives to instill a culture of patient-centered care , from the first phone call to the CFDT and throughout a patient’s journey at CHOP. “The role of the Fetal Therapy Coordinator is unique; we support patients through every step of their care,” she says. “Patients are facing what can be an incredibly challenging time, and it is an honor to care for them.”

Susan’s interest in patient care started early, when, at the age of 14, she began working at the Holy Redeemer Hospital. Susan completed her degree in Nursing at Hahnemann University and earned her Master of Science in Pediatric Critical Care Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University. At Jefferson, Susan led NICU research, including the first multicenter human trial of liquid ventilation for neonates.

In her time at Jefferson, Susan held the role of Administrative Director of Research, and then served as Department of Pediatrics Administrator. She later accepted a position as Service Line Director for Pediatrics at Virtua Health, where she was responsible for managing a program of excellence and building partnerships to fulfill strategic operational goals.

Her publications discuss strategies to break down barriers to care, empower families with information, and reduce patient and family anxiety. Susan is a founding member of the Fetal Therapy Nurse Network and served as its president from 2016 to 2018.