KyShara Penns is the new director of obstetrical nursing for F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua.
At the hospital, which is part of UR Medicine Thompson Health, Penns now oversees the birthing center, which has perinatal advanced certification from The Joint Commission and is designated by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield as a Blue Distinction “Center+ for Maternity Care.” Nearly 750 babies were delivered there in 2023.
A graduate of Monroe Community College who obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Roberts Wesleyan University, Penns is pursuing a Master of Science in leadership of healthcare systems at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, where she is expected to graduate in May 2025.
Penns is a former adjunct instructor at the St. John Fisher University School of Nursing who since 2021 worked at Golisano Children’s Hospital, first as a registered nurse and most recently as an assistant nurse manager.
Prior to Golisano, she worked as a registered nurse at Highland hospital, for two years on a medical surgical unit followed by more than seven in the hospital’s family maternity center.