SPOTLIGHT ON NANN'S 2015 AWARD WINNERS
Each year, the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) and the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) recognize excellence in the neonatal nursing profession by awarding annual awards. These prestigious awards are given to the best and brightest in the neonatal nursing field, in the areas of clinical practice, outstanding service, career achievement, leadership, neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) excellence, NANN chapter recognition, and more. Award recipients were recognized at the 2015 NANN Annual Educational Conference in October.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Robin Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN
Robin Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, is the recipient of the 2015 NANN Lifetime Achievement Award. Robin has been nationally recognized for her work on the Golden Hour of care for very low birth-weight infants. "She developed guidelines and designed the first interprofessional complex simulation model for care of these infants to improve neonatal outcomes," her nominators wrote. She shared evidence-based standards of practice to enable the successful implementation of the Golden Hour nationally while guest editing NANN's journal Advances in Neonatal Care and disseminated the Golden Hour practice guidelines to all neonatal units in South Carolina, improving infant mortality rates from 9/1000 infant deaths per live birth to 6.9/1000 in just 12 years. Robin was coeditor of the workbook Golden Hours: Care of the Very Low Birth Weight Infant, which sold out within weeks of its 2014 release. She has written or coauthored numerous pieces for industry publications, including Advances in Neonatal Care.
Robin served as president of NANN from 2004 to 2006. As immediate past president, she helped establish NANNP in 2007. Furthermore, she has advocated for and achieved recognition of neonates as a specific population focus for nurse practitioners in the consensus model for APRN Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education (LACE).
She has been honored by numerous organizations, including twice by NANN as a Distinguished Leader. She is a member or leader for several professional organizations and associations and hospital and university committees. She has presented internationally for many conferences and organizations on topics including the Golden Hour, quality improvement, and certification.
While serving as director of the NNP Program in the College of Nursing at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Robin drafted the first NNP competency guidelines, which are now the national standard. She became director of the graduate program at MUSC and developed the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) program. In 2015, MUSC was ranked first among online nursing graduate programs by U.S. World and News Report. Today, she serves as executive director of the National Certification Corporation and continues to practice clinical nursing as an NNP at MUSC.
Distinguished Service Award: Donna Dowling, PhD, RN
The recipient of the Distinguished Service Award is Donna Dowling, PhD, RN. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding and dedicated service to NANN by honoring an individual who has advanced the mission of the association in a significant and lasting way. Donna has been an active NANN member for more than 3 decades. She has served on the Research Committee, as a member of the Research Institute, as a NANN Small Grant reviewer, and since 2010, she has been the research section editor for the NANN journal Advances in Neonatal Care. "In my opinion, it is Dr. Dowling's tireless efforts as research section editor that most earn her an award for distinguished service to the organization," wrote one of her nominators. "She spends countless hours reviewing manuscripts as well as reviewer comments, making thoughtful and constructive recommendations for strengthening submitted manuscripts so that every manuscript submission is carefully considered for publication."
Donna began her career as a labor and delivery nurse and today is an associate professor and director of the postmaster's DNP program at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. At the NANN Research Summit and throughout her career, Donna has mentored potential authors-students, novice investigators, and neonatal clinicians-by encouraging them, helping them to hone needed skills, and assisting with the submission of manuscripts. A member of several professional associations, Donna has served many roles in these groups, including as a manuscript reviewer and a grant reviewer. She has submitted and been awarded many grants. She has authored or coauthored numerous articles and book chapters and has presented numerous presentations on neonatal topics. She has served on many dissertation and DNP thesis committees and has served many roles in school and university positions.
Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award: Michelle Nicoli, RNC-CRNP IV
Michelle Nicoli, RNC-CRNP IV, a clinical nurse for more than 20 years, is the recipient of the Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award, which honors an individual who recognizes and encourages excellence in neonatal nurses who provide direct patient care. She has concentrated on maternal child nursing for the past 21 years and describes herself as "strongly motivated by the possibility of executing positive change." Nowhere is this more on display than within the Davis Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, where Michelle is a neonatal abstinence resource nurse who works almost exclusively with infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. There, Michelle identified a need for more developmentally supportive equipment to console her patients, researched options, and found funding for Mamaroo motion seats and white noise machines. To facilitate infants' sleep, she developed signage to alert staff to the need for quiet and spearheaded a system that coordinates examinations with the attending physicians during times when infants are awake. Michelle empowers families to actively participate in their babies' care, and interacts without judgment, despite the situations into which her patients were born. Michelle shares her expertise with staff by teaching classes and providing training, and she has participated in committees and conferences to share her knowledge.
"Where others find roadblocks, Michelle perseveres to find a way to elevate our standard practices," her nominator wrote. "She is a truly genuine and compassionate nurse. She is always willing to share her time, information and expertise."
Navigator Award: Shakira Henderson, PhD(c), DNP, MS, MPH, RNC-NIC, IBCLC
The Navigator Award has been bestowed upon Shakira Henderson, PhD(c), DNP, MS, MPH, RNC-NIC, IBCLC. The Navigator Award recognizes a person who demonstrates outstanding teaching and motivational skills, is clinically and technically skilled in his or her profession, and shares his or her experiences and viewpoints willingly. This person is also supportive, guiding, reassuring, and demonstrates the goals and ambitions of the professional nurse as a role model for others. Shakira embodies this through scholarly contributions to publications, mentored preceptorship, research, community outreach, practice, and education innovation.
At South Miami Hospital in South Miami, Florida, Shakira was instrumental in developing and implementing the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Breastaurant and orchestrated more than 10 nurses in the NICU becoming International Board Certified Lactation Specialists. This played a crucial role in the hospital becoming the second in the country to obtain Joint Commission Certification for Prematurity. She has served as a mentor for many nurses who are pursuing their BSN, MSN, and DNP degrees in neonatal nursing. Now a nurse scientist, she serves as a research mentor to NICU nurses. She guided successful grant requests for NICU projects, the first nursing grants in her hospital system. She has conducted research, quality improvement, and performance improvement projects to explore and solve quality issues in the NICU. Although not part of her job description, she continues to teach and guide nurses on topics such as breastfeeding for the betterment of the hospital and care provided.
Her influence and efforts extend beyond her hospital system. She is an associate professor at Chamberlain College of Nursing. She has been published in several journals, presented at many educational conferences, earned a list of honors, participated in numerous professional organizations, and acted as principal investigator or coinvestigator on 8 research projects. Shakira is working with the Florida Prenatal Quality Collaborative to implement an NICU breastfeeding initiative statewide, participated in the NANN feeding guidelines work team, serves as the NANN Research Special Interest Group facilitator, and acts as a mentor for the 2014-2015 SigmaTheta Tau International Maternal-Child Leadership Academy.
Leadership Award: Judy Vitali, BSN, RNC-NIC, CIME, CPFI, CHBE
The Leadership Award recognizes a neonatal nurse who exhibits superior leadership skills and demonstrates consistent excellence in practice. Judy Vitali, BSN, RNC-NIC, CIME, CPFI, CHBE, is this year's recipient. Judy is a registered nurse, clinical level IV, in the 50-bed NICU at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Judy and a coworker implemented an extensive and daunting parent education program for NICU families with classes on baby care, infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Happiest Baby on the Block, infant massage, cue-based feeding, preemie development, and breastfeeding. She recruited, oriented, and mentored coworkers to teach, and she designed and displayed posters to increase family participation. The program is being used as a hospital-wide Magnet Project that has demonstrated the increased knowledge and confidence experienced by intensive care nursery (ICN) families that go through her program.
Staff and expectant parents also benefit from Judy's work. As a licensed basic life support (BLS), neonatal resuscitation program (NRP), and emergency first aid instructor, she has helped certify healthcare workers to teach infant/child CPR for both ICN families and the parent education department. Judy assists at the Penn Medicine Simulation Center by coteaching NRP and BLS courses. She created and instituted both the infant/child CPR class and pediatric first aid classes for the Pennsylvania Hospital Parent Education Department after families requested them. To take her mission beyond the health system, Judy purchased CPR mannequins, an automated external defibrillator trainer, and American Heart Association BLS/heartsaver/first aid DVDs for community outreach activities. This has allowed her to teach CPR and first aid at local churches, schools, daycare centers, YMCA facilities, and a maternal wellness center in Philadelphia. She also teaches prenatal/postnatal fitness and nutrition at local athletic centers.
She participates in many hospital committees and organizations that benefit others, including the Nursing Practice Council and the Scheduling Committee, and chairs the Infant Nutrition Committee and Professional Development Committee. She was a member of the Toxigen Initiative QI Project for prevention of hyperoxia and its toxic effect in very preterm infants; project data were published in Advances in Neonatal Care. She has presented on that project and many other topics to further share her knowledge.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award: Suzanne Staebler, DNP, NNP-BC, FANNP
Suzanne Staebler, DNP, NNP-BC, FANNP, is the recipient of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award. The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Excellence Award honors outstanding contributions by an NNP to the field of neonatal nursing through exemplary practice, leadership, service, and education.
At Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, Suzanne is assistant director of advanced practice nursing and adjunct faculty at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing. One nominator lauded her as "an extraordinary clinician and educator who epitomizes neonatal nursing at its finest. She is one of the most outstanding nurse practitioner advocates to emerge from NANN and the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP) leadership. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership abilities, strategic thinking, and dedication to NANN and neonatal nursing for over 20 years."
Through her ongoing interdisciplinary consultation, research, and evidence-based practice projects, Suzanne has positively impacted the preterm population to reduce risks associated with life-threatening diseases. She is now at the forefront of helping the world understand that the risks associated with respiratory syncytial virus exposure to preterm neonates may be extremely harmful if not proactively and routinely immunized. Previously, she has led several rapid-cycle change projects: one to reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in very low birth-weight infants, utilizing donor human milk, and standardizing feeding protocols and another to reduce hypothermia in the delivery room. Pediatrix Medical Group is using both protocols nationally in its 100,000 Babies Campaign.
Suzanne has significantly impacted the NNP profession through her involvement in NANNP. Her advocacy presence was instrumental in the LACE initiative and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Consensus Model development to maintain NNP practice as an independent and distinct advanced nursing practice specialty. During her tenure as NANNP governing chair, Suzanne coordinated efforts of NANNP task force members to revise and implement the current guidelines for NNP educational programs. She also has been instrumental in developing and coordinating the development and revision of neonatal nursing guidelines for standard of care. As NANNP chair, she has worked to align the NNP and clinical nurse specialist roles with the consensus model for APRNs. She was the project director for Baby Steps to Home, the guide that prepares NICU parents to take their children home. She recently was named a Fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, an honor bestowed on a small number of APRNs worldwide. Suzanne helped Emory University launch the only NNP program in Georgia-a state with one of the nation's highest infant mortality rates. She has presented and lectured nationally and has published her work in many journals.
"She has dedicated her time to advocate for these babies in national forums and is a voice of reason for our families and the professional nurses that serve them," another nominator wrote. "She gives of her time freely to ensure that the world is aware of issues that are impacting our profession."
Chapter of the Year Award: Central California Chapter
The 2015 Chapter of the Year recipient, the Central California Chapter (CCANN), is no stranger to being recognized for hard work and success. Spanning 7 counties in the Central Valley, the CCANN strives to excel in education, communication, membership retention and recruitment, advocacy, community service, and fund-raising.
The chapter takes great pride in its educational offerings, including the fall and regional conferences, lunch and learn, breakfast and learn, and many more. The revamped CCANN Web site (http://www.ccannurses.com) also links to educational resources that provide continuing education units and a medical journal article review by medical advisors. Presentations are made interactive to increase participation; a remote clicker system given to all participants has supported this effort. Feedback is taken seriously and has led to a 2015 goal of increasing the number of breakfast/luncheon conferences. Scholarships offered through CCANN have helped members attend the NANN Annual Educational Conference and pursue higher educational degrees. The chapter even offered a NANN membership and local conference fees to attendees of CCANN's fall conference.
The chapter maintains open, up-to-date communication and transparency on the chapter's Web site and through e-newsletters and social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. This reaches new members and enables current members to stay connected, stay informed, and be involved. In December 2014, CCANN initiated its first official chapter brochure and has begun collecting snippets of videos with the goal of producing a short promotional documentary representing the chapter's achievements and engagements.
Although the chapter is one of the largest in the nation with more than 170 members, the leadership team is dedicated to increasing the chapter's membership by at least 10% each quarter. Prior to the April-May 2014 recruitment drive, flyers, and newsletters were sent to outlying hospitals with new and renewing members. Personal follow-ups and regular catch-ups with members and potential members increase engagement and recruitment. Other recruitment strategies have included reaching out to new staff during their NICU orientation and inviting new staff and nursing students to CCANN's breakfast and luncheon conferences.
In 2014, CCANN donated more than $10,000 to community service organizations and foundations that align with the chapter's mission. Recipient organizations included March of Dimes, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the American Diabetes Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and Terry's House, and the Make A Wish Foundation. The chapter also contributed funds for toys for a clinic for high-risk infants, humanitarian outreach projects, a local food bank, a local shelter for domestic violence victims, underprivileged children who needed winter coats, and a local family experiencing pain and hardship. CCANN and its members promote advocacy through support and promotion of March of Dimes, family-centered care, breastfeeding, and more. CCANN has chosen a representative as advocacy liaison to keep members informed of upcoming advocacy opportunities and will continue to be active in advocacy in 2015.
Advocacy, Communications, and Education Chapter Award: South Eastern Florida Chapter
The South Eastern Florida Chapter (SEFANN) has earned the Advocacy, Communications, and Education Award. An advocacy general session at the NANN Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, lit a fire under the officers of the SEFANN chapter. They shared what they'd learned with their members at a dinner meeting, in a newsletter, and in a new page on their Web site at http://www.sefann.org and created a new advocacy committee. The sections of the political self-assessment tool were turned into presentations, educating many and resulting in dozens of new members.
When it comes to communicating with members, SEFANN uses its Web site and a Shutterfly site to keep members informed and share resources, photographs, and a calendar of events. Other communications include an e-newsletter sent 6 times a year; conference and meeting brochures and flyers mailed, e-mailed, posted in hospitals, and posted online; and thank-you notes and welcome letters sent to new and renewing members. Face-to-face communication occurs during chapter meetings, helping members build positive relationships with peers, and at the 2-day Hot Topics educational conference.
Education is offered frequently. Six free dinners boast continuing education hours at local hospitals in the area, enabling nurses to satisfy education requirements for the year. The chapter's 19th annual regional conference, Hot Topics in the Tropics, had more than 60 attendees for each of the 2 days and offered 14 continuing education hours plus additional hours for poster reviews. Members can apply for educational scholarships and enter a raffle for NANN conference scholarships. The chapter posts conference and educational opportunities on its Web site to further expand the resources members can access.
Community Service and Fundraising Award: Southeastern Michigan Chapter
The Community Service and Fundraising Award has been bestowed upon the Southeastern Michigan Chapter (SMANN). In 2014, the chapter gave back to the community through an assortment of projects. The Coalition for Temporary Shelter (COTS) in Detroit, Michigan, which provides emergency shelter to men, women, and children, received donated personal hygiene products, Easter baskets, winter clothing, and toys for Christmas gifts through the generosity of SMANN members. First-time mothers who attended the SMANN Annual Community Baby Shower in Detroit learned about car-seat safety, safe sleep practices, breastfeeding, and infant CPR and were able to choose pink, blue, or yellow extra-large gift bags full of sleepers, diapers, bibs, blankets, and adorable outfits-all given by members. In August, members and a local hospital donated items to be sold in the citywide garage sale in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. They raised more than $900 that was donated to Camp Michi-Mac, a camp for children with asthma. Unsold items from the garage sale were donated to local charities and libraries. At the start of the school year, members collected and donated school supplies for low-income families. SMANN's Texas Hold 'Em fundraiser raised nearly $3700, which was donated to Camp Michi-Mac, Cribs for Kids in Detroit, the Foundation for Neonatal Research and Education, nursing scholarships, and the SMANN baby shower. Additional funds came from a wine-tasting event and donations from generous sponsors.
Membership Recruitment and Retention Chapter Award: Delaware Valley Chapter
The Delaware Valley Chapter (DVANN) earned the Membership Recruitment and Retention Chapter Award. In 2014, DVANN added more than 100 members to end the year at a membership of 246. The chapter attributes the growth to utilizing NANN's online dues payment system, saying it has been instrumental in supporting its recruitment and retention initiatives. In addition to keeping membership fees low, DVANN offers a free year of membership to members who recruit 2 nurses to the chapter. Members also hosted a recruitment table at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Neonatal Symposium to inform attendees about the benefits of NANN and DVANN.
To retain existing members, leaders added more face-to-face networking opportunities, fun events, and recognition. For instance, a "mocktail" hour with conversation starters was added to a dinner meeting, and members have enjoyed outings to baseball games locally and at the NANN Annual Conference. A membership appreciation dinner held around National Neonatal Nurses' Day used assigned seating this year to enhance networking. The chapter's newsletter, The Preemie Press, highlights a member in each issue. Members are further recognized through the Professional Development Award, REACH Award, and International Nursing Award, each of which comes with a monetary award or free membership.
Research Abstract Award: Kate McGinnis, BSN, RN-NIC
Kate McGinnis, BSN, RN-NIC, is the recipient of the Research Abstract Award for the abstract "The Effect of Mechanical Vibration on Pain Response to Heel Stick." Kate has worked as a nurse in the NICU at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, Georgia, for 9 years and has served as chair of her unit's Developmental Care Council. She graduated with her BS in biochemistry from Warren Wilson College and her BSN from Kennesaw State University. Kate is a recipient of the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. She is a Woodruff Fellow at Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in the MSN-NNP program and expects to graduate in December. Kate has a focused interest in developmental care and nonpharmacological management of pain and stress.
Clinical Abstract Award: Barbara Cirrito, BSN, RNC-NIC
Barbara Cirrito, BSN, RNC-NIC, received the Clinical Abstract Award for the abstract "Reducing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in a Level 3 NICU." Barbara has worked in neonatal nursing since 1972 and has clinical and management experience. She received her BSN from Grand Canyon University, where she is pursuing her master's degree in nursing education with an anticipated graduation date of January. She is a CN3 NICU quality coordinator in a level 3 NICU at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa, Florida.
Small Grant Awards
The purpose of the NANN's Small Grant Program is to build the research capacity of neonatal nurses. Through a productive mentor-mentee relationship, this award provides neonatal nurses who have not been previously engaged in writing research proposals or who have not obtained research funding to begin a research project in an area of interest. The following are the 2015 small grant recipients.
Small Grant Award-Research Based: Thao Griffith, PhD(c), BSN, RN
"The Effects of Tube Feedings on Preterm Infant Nutritive Feeding Organization"
Small Grant Award-Research Based: Lauren M. Head, BSN, RN
"Language Exposure in the NICU as a Modifiable Determinant of Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants"
Small Grant Award-Research Based: Dorothy Vittner, PhD(c), MSN, BSN
"Bio-Behavioral Mechanisms During Maternal and Paternal Skin to Skin Contact With Preterm Infants"
To learn more about this year's award winners, visit http://www.nann.org/awards.