The UPHS Nursing Excellence Awards celebrate the positive impact nurse make on patients. As University of Pennsylvania Health System CEO Kevin Mahoney noted during the virtual event, “Penn Medicine nurses exemplify the very best traits of all those who work in medicine. Time and time again I’m inspired by our nurses’ leadership and extraordinary dedication to patients.”
Each year nurses from entities throughout the Health System are recognized in one of five categories. Read the stories behind the awards for this year’s winners from HUP and CPUP.
Lillian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice
Rebecca Brodie, BSN, of OB/GYN Infertility, has pursued several quality improvement initiatives during the past few years. This includes creating a Fertility Care Guide, with a grant from the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation, when she recognized that patients in her practice were overwhelmed and confused.
Ruth Gyasi, BSN, of Rhoads 5, is the perfect example of marrying the art and science of nursing, whether it’s being able to wean a patient off a ventilator earlier through a “human connection” (brushing her hair when the patient was anxious) or overseeing a process that decreased the median duration of delirium.
The Dianne Lanham Award for Leadership
Linda Phillips, BSN, of the Heart and Vascular Center at Radnor, leads efforts to ensure patient and staff education by providing in-services, developing materials and validating competencies. During the pandemic, she played a key role in ensuring that patients received the tests they needed, in a safe manner.
Gracy Matten, MSN of Founders 11, not only creates an environment on the unit for professional development but also helped revise the central line dressing practices to reduce catheter associated bloodstream infections and set up quarterly code simulations for medical cardiology nurses.
Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation
Taylor Proffitt, BSN, of Med Endo-Diabetes, has been a leader in her department’s focus of
downloading pump/continuous glucose monitor data prior to appointments for diabetic
patients. This allows providers to use the information in making treatment decisions, ultimately improving staff and patient experience.
Saritha Vangala, MSN, of Nursing ICN, has led both the implementation of “kangaroo care” practice (skin to skin between mother and infant) guideline in the intensive care nursery and the research in possible outcomes of its use, including shorter length of stay, decreased time on mechanical ventilation, and more rapid achievement of neonatal developmental milestone.
Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationships
Monica Loschiavo, RN, of Penn Family Care, takes time to educate patients on options to purchase durable medical supplies directly or going through insurance. She helps cultivate a healing environment by continually looking outside the box for better ways to serve our patients.
James Smith, BSN, of the Heart/Vascular ICU, worked with the opioid use disorder team to change the way care is delivered to ensure a proper medication regime post-op. He has also advocated and participated in several Cobalt meetings to discuss race, diversity and equality.
Victoria L. Rich Award for Transformational Leadership Award
Ann Huffenberger, DBA, RN, director of Operations Penn for the Center for Connected Care, has led efforts to significantly advance the quality-of-care patients have received prior to and during the pandemic, highlighting the unprecedented pace with which this team can operate.
Teresa Murphy, MSN, manager of Nursing Resources and Operations in the Nursing Network Center, has led efforts to make the Staffing for All Seasons Team (the internal resource pool) an integral cog of the entity wheel, expertly placing her staff across the entity. She also played a key role in the seamless transition of HUP-Cedar Avenue.