In the cover photograph by Cynthia Brodoway, taken September 7, 2006, in the neonatal ICU at Nemours-Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, Katherine Suiters, RN, leans over a tiny newborn. "It was the fragility of the infant, the life-sustaining technology, and the tenderness of the nurse that I felt I needed to capture," says Brodoway, a medical photographer for all departments, staff, and families served at the children's hospital.
The cover photograph won third place in the 2007 "Faces of Caring: Nurses at Work" photography contest sponsored by AJN and the New York University (NYU) College of Nursing, with support from Johnson and Johnson's Campaign for Nursing's Future, the Beatrice Renfield Foundation, and the Jonas Center for Nursing Excellence. (Twenty-six photographs were selected for an exhibition mounted at NYU in May that is now touring the country. For information on booking the exhibition, call Amanda Geer at [646] 674-6609.)
In Brodoway's photograph on this page, Barbara Rowland, BSN, RN, provides a gentle touch, which can promote growth and development in premature infants. Brodoway says she was moved to capture the connection: "I am always in awe of the bond between nurses and newborns, as if they were their own."
Brodoway started her career in botanical photography and portraiture in 1978. In 1981, she accepted a position in the medical photography department at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She trained under four medical photographers and undertook duties including pre- and postoperative photography, portraiture, public relations, and videography, among others. After assuming many roles and furthering her education in both medical and digital technology, she was named director of medical photography in 1995.
Alison Bulman, senior editorial coordinator