Penn Medicine Recognizes Nursing Excellence

The Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards recognize nurses from throughout Penn Medicine for exemplary practice, leadership, research and innovation, and relationships with community, patient,and family. This year, 41 nurses were recognized for their contributions and dedication.At the event, HUP’s chief executive officer, Regina Cunningham, PhD, RN, spoke about the key role nurses play in driving value, “central in today’s  health care dialog,” she said. “Nurses are the fundamental drivers of both cost and outcomes. They speak the language of quality.

Nurses are innovators, “change agents,” she said, using a few of the winning submissions to illustrate her point. For example, one nurse-led initiative improved the efficiency of nursing work.

“An improved work flow prevents compassion fatigue and burnout among nurses, leading to lower turnover rates. And it creates more time for nurses to spend with patients,” she said. Another project focused on proper hand hygiene in the ED and OR, which lowers hospital acquired infections. “This impacts direct care costs and length of stay.” 

“At its core, our world is about caring for patients,” she said. “Nurse are shaping care and creating extraodinary patient and family experiences.”

Check back on Monday, July 2, 2018 for a slideshow of the awards ceremony!

Victoria L. Rich Award for Transformational Leadership

Susan Cacciavillano, BSN, RNC-NIC	CCH
Lindsey Zinck, MSN, RN, OCN	CPUP
Sonya Wood-Johnson, MSN, RN, RRT, PCCN	GSPP
Mary Rogers, MSN, RN, NEA-BC	HUP
Michelle Fisher, BSN, RN, RNC-OB	LG Health
Mary Denno, MSN, RN, NE-BC	PHCHS
Laura Solano, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CCNS	PPMC
Tanya Carmichael, MSN, RN, RNC-OB, RN-BC	PAH

Lillian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice

Okie Taylor, BSN, RN, CMSRN	CCH
Marsha Fitzgerald, BSN, RN	CPUP
Laura Wolf, BSN, RN, CCRN, CMSRN, WCC	GSPP
Diana Rodenbaugh, MSN, RN, CMSRN, WCC	HUP
Carin Schmidt, BSN, RN, RN-BC	LG Health
Kerrith McDowell, BSN, RN	PHCHS
Melissa Tomczak, BSN, RN	PPMC
Laura Pelosi, BSN, RN	PAH

Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationships

Anel Mata-Medina, BSN, RN	CCH
Tiffany Thompson, BSN, RN, OCN	CPUP
Felix Jones, BSN, RN	GSPP
Timothy Rowan, BSN, RN-BC	HUP
Kim Martin, BSN, RN, OCN, CEN	LG Health
Michele Marsh, BSN, RN	PHCHS
Peter Kim, BSN, RN, BFA, OCN	PPMC
Frank Visco, BSN, RN-BC	PAH

Dianne Lanham Award for Leadership

Karlie Schavicchio, BSN, RN, CEN	CCH
Deborah Bollinger, BSN, RN	CPUP
Karen Morring, MHA, RN	GSPP
Diane Gussler, BSN, RN, CCRN	HUP
Janine Niehaus, BSN, RN, OCN	LG Health
Justine Maziuk, BSN, RN	PHCHS
James Kurtz, MPH, BSN, RN, PCCN	PPMC
Laura Bloemeke, BSN, RN, PCCN	PAH

Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation

William Pezzotti, DNP, RN, CRNP, AGCNP-BS, CEN	CCH
Linda Wood, BSN, RN	CPUP
Noreen Guido, MSN, RN, CRRN	GSPP
Edward Chen, BSN, RN, PCCN	HUP
Charity Grove, BSN, RNC-NIC	LG Health
Debra A. Kossman, PhD, BSN, RN	PHCHS
Julie Van Duyne, BSN, RN	PPMC
Ann Marie Sanders, BSN, RN	PAH