May 8, 2008
School of Nursing honors profession’s leaders
Four women will be recognized for their work as nurse-leaders and volunteers at the UW School of Nursing’s annual Nurses Recognition Banquet today.
About 425 nurses and health care leaders are expected to attend the event at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.
The event will feature keynote speaker Suzanne Gordon, a journalist and nurse advocate who has focused on telling the stories and addressing the concerns of nurses, caregivers and the health care field. The event will also pay tribute to Dean Nancy Fugate Woods, recognizing her decade of service as the school’s dean.
The Nurses Recognition Banquet celebrates National Nurses Week, held May 6-12, and four individual leadership award winners for their contributions to nursing. One award is designated for an alumnus of the school.
This year’s award winners are:
Distinguished Research Award: Professor Donna L. Berry is one of the nation’s foremost researchers in the human response to cancer. Berry, the Myrene C. McAninch Term Professor in Nursing, is known for her work in studying patient-centered care, treatment decision-making and quality-of-life assessment in cancer patients.
Berry holds a clinical appointment with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance as a nurse researcher, and she has been honored with the Oncology Nursing Society’s Excellence in Nursing Informatics award. Berry earned her doctoral degree from the UW in 1992.
The Distinguished Research Award recognizes a nurse researcher whose professional achievements and cumulative contributions have brought personal distinction, enhanced the profession, improved the welfare of the general public and brought honor and prestige to his or her field.
Distinguished Alumni Award: Judith Huntington, executive director of the Washington State Nurses Association, has played a pivotal role in creating regional, state and national health policies. Among her accomplishments is serving as a founding member of the state Committee for Affordable Health Care, launching the state’s Basic Health Plan. Huntington earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the UW in 1968 and her master’s degree in nursing from the UW in 1985.
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a UW School of Nursing alumna or alumnus whose career in nursing exemplifies excellence in clinical practice, leadership in professional organizations, outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the community.
Humanitarian Award: Lisa Black is a pediatric nurse at Providence Everett Medical Center. As a pediatric staff nurse, she provides nursing care to newborns through teens and support to their families, and she contributed to a groundbreaking initiative to teach computer ordering and charting to hospital staff to increase efficiency.
She also volunteers for the Washington Trails Association, leading work groups in trail restoration. Black earned a bachelor’s in nursing from the UW in 1993. The Humanitarian Award honors a nurse whose dedicated work and exemplary service have benefited society and the practice of nursing. Any nurse who has demonstrated service above and beyond expectations is eligible for the humanitarian award.
Outstanding Volunteer Award: Daughter of a country doctor, Ellery Cramer is a steadfast supporter of the School of Nursing. She serves as a member of the school’s Campaign Advisory Board, and together with her husband, Kirby, endowed a professorship in nursing. She also has been instrumental in reaching out to donors to the Center for Excellence in Nursing Education, the school’s learning-skills lab. Cramer earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1959.
The Outstanding Volunteer Award acknowledges a volunteer who embodies the ideals of the UW School of Nursing and whose leadership, dedication and contributions reflect an ongoing commitment to serve others through his or her vision and support of the school.
Many program sponsors also will recognize their top nurses at the event. Among the sponsors of the 2008 Recognition Banquet recognizing their top nurses are Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center (UWMC).
Harborview honorees: Cindy Hecker, Darcy Jaffe, Annette Kuhls, Sue Manfredi, Chris Martin, Kathy Mertens, Paula Minton- Foltz and Becky Pierce.
UWMC honorees: Earl Batiste, Lori Chudnofski, Peggy Cox, Joan DiGiacomo, Linda Hayes-Gallegos, Mary Jo Kelly, Terrie Paine and Eileen Suver.
Other sponsors of the recognition banquet are Premera Blue Cross, Swedish Medical Center, Providence Health & Services, Era Living, Evercare Washington, Group Health Cooperative, Northwest Kidney Centers and Virginia Mason Medical Center.
