American Nurses Association Announces National Awards Recipients

For Immediate Release: 
May 18, 2016

Contact: 
Steve Carpinelli, 301.628.5034
steve.carpinelli@ana.org

Tamiko Murray, 301.628.5161
tamiko.murray@ana.org

American Nurses Association Announces National Awards Recipients

This year 11 nurses will be honored for transforming health care

SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA) announced today recipients of its 2016 National Awards. The ANA's National Awards honor outstanding nurses whose dedication and achievements have contributed to the nursing profession.

This year's 11 honorees include two registered nurses who will be inducted into ANA's Hall of Fame, and nine registered nurses who will receive Honorary Awards. A ceremony and reception to honor the 11 award recipients will be held on Thursday, June 23, at the Grand Hyatt Washington, D.C., prior to ANA's Membership Assembly.

"The American Nurses Association believes it is important to honor the unwavering commitment of nurses who are transforming health care," said ANA President Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC. "We are honored to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of these nurses, who are exemplary leaders and advocates, and whose contributions have advanced nursing and demonstrated the impact of ANA in improving health care for all."

Hall of Fame Award
ANA established the nursing Hall of Fame Award to recognize significant individual nurses' commitment to the field of nursing and their impact on the health and social history of the United States. ANA first inducted recipients into the Hall of Fame in 1976.

ANA is honored to induct two Hall of Fame Award recipients for 2016:

• Muriel Poulin, EdD, RN, FAAN, ANA-Maine
• Patricia Messmer, PhD, RN-BC, FAAN, Florida Nurses Association

Muriel Poulin has an extraordinary history of achievements in nursing spanning more than four decades. Her many achievements include serving as the director of nursing at the Damascus General Hospital in Syria. She was recruited by the Agency for International Development (AID) to serve as the assistant hospital administrator for nursing for the San Juan de Dios Hospital in San José, Costa Rica and after traveling to the University of Barcelona as a Fulbright Scholar, she successfully established the first master's program in nursing in Spain.

Patricia Messmer has been a dedicated ANA member for more than five decades. She is a consultant for nursing research and education in the Benjamín León School of Nursing at Miami Dade College and chairs the Nurses Charitable Trust (NCT). Her longstanding commitment to academic and scholarly research of nursing practice issues has benefitted hospital-based nurses and nursing faculty. She is one of the few nurses to receive a Smithsonian medal and she has mentored nurses and physicians to achieve workable solutions to clinical practice problems.

Honorary Award
The Honorary Award recipients were nominated by constituent and state nurses associations, ANA's organizational affiliates and individual members and selected by ANA's Board of Directors. These nine highly accomplished registered nurse leaders will be honored for their outstanding service to the profession in categories ranging from public health to patient advocacy to legislative successes.

The Honorary Award recipients are:

• Patricia Ford-Roegner, MSW, BSN, RN, ACSW, FAAN
  ANA member
  Barbara Thoman Curtis Award recognizes significant contributions to nursing practice and health policy through political and legislative activity.

• Judith Huntington, MN, RN
  Washington State Nurses Association
  Distinguished Membership Award recognizes outstanding leadership and contributions to the mission of ANA.

• Barbara Warren, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, FNAP
  Ohio Nurses Association
  Hildegard Peplau Award honors contributions to nursing practice through a lifetime of scholarly activities, clinical practice and policy development directed toward the psychosocial and psychiatric aspects of nursing care delivery.

• Gloria Dobies, BSN, RN, CDE
  ANA member
  Honorary Nursing Practice Award acknowledges a registered nurse who is directly involved in patient care who receives recognition by peers for their contribution to the advancement of nursing through strength of character, commitment and competence.

• Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, FAAN
  Ohio Nurses Association
  Honorary Recognition Award is one of ANA's highest honors, awarded to a nurse with a distinguished service to the profession and whose contributions are of national or international significance.

• Rose Constantino, PhD, JD, RN, FAAN, FACFE
  Pennsylvania State Nurses Association
  Jessie M. Scott Award is named after the American nurse who served as the Assistant Surgeon General and directed the nursing division of the U.S. Public Health Service, which is now known as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The award recognizes a nurse who has made an outstanding accomplishment in a field of practice, education, or research and demonstrates the interdependence of these elements and their significance for the improvement of nursing and health care.

• John Lowe, PhD, RN, FAAN
  Florida Nurses Association
  Luther Christman Award recognizes the contributions that an individual man in nursing has made to the profession of nursing.

• Karen Bankston, PhD, MSN, FACHE
  Ohio Nurses Association
  Mary Mahoney Award recognizes significant contributions, by an individual nurse or a group of nurses, to integration within the nursing profession.

• Jacqlyn Sanchez, RNC-OB
  Texas Nurses Association
  Staff Nurse Patient Advocacy Award recognizes staff nurse advocates— the heroines and heroes on the front lines— for providing direct patient care in all practice settings and who have advocated for their patients.

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The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.4 million registered nurses. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all.