Nina Hudgins, DNP, MSN, RN, director of Patient Care Services at Karmanos Cancer Institute, was honored on May 1, 2026, among metro Detroit leaders during DBusiness Magazine’s annual 30 in Their Thirties recognition breakfast.
Hudgins’ nomination describes her as “a compassionate, transformative, and visionary leader whose decisions prioritize clinical excellence and organizational strategy.” She was elevated to her current position in 2025 and spearheads critical initiatives to improve the care of the oncology patient population by focusing on reducing falls, pressure injuries and infections. Even though Karmanos maintains outstanding ratings in quality care, risk management and patient experience, Hudgins proactively audits, evaluates and refines workflows that benefit patients, boost staff morale and ensure safe staffing, allowing the nursing team to focus on patient care.
‘The most satisfaction I’ve had in my career is knowing that I made a difference in a patient’s or their family’s lives,’ Hudgins told DBusiness. ‘I want to lead a critically resilient nursing team that can deal with the complexities of health care but still committed to providing safe, compassionate, dignified, high-quality care to patients.’
In her previous role, she was the director of Patient and Colleague Engagement at Karmanos for six years, where she resolved grievances in a timely manner, leading to high patient satisfaction scores, revamped the process for investigating and resolving issues according to state and Joint Commission standards, and maintained a 100% resolution rate with remarkable response times. Her tenure at Karmanos is almost 16 years, following a student nursing position at the hospital during her senior year at Wayne State University (WSU).
Hudgins is involved with the Doctors of Tomorrow, a summer internship program at Karmanos for Cass Technical High School students; is a board member of the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan; is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society’s metro Detroit chapter; and is a volunteer with the Black Legacy Advancement Coalition. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Grand Valley State University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from WSU.
DBusiness’ 30 in Their Thirties recognizes young professionals who are playing a significant role in advancing their company, industry, or organization.
Read the article about Hudgins here. Hudgins also appears in this video, which features some of the honorees.
Hudgins with her colleagues from Karmanos and McLaren Health Care