ANCC Announces 2019 HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein Award Winner: Rear Admiral Susan M. Orsega
SILVER SPRING, MD—The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) today presented Rear Admiral (RADM) Susan M. Orsega, MSN, FNP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, with the prestigious HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein Award for her commitment to nursing and healthcare across the global landscape. The award was given at the ANCC National Magnet Conference® in Orlando.
“RADM Orsega’s work harnesses the full potential of the nursing workforce to improve population health and health equity worldwide,” said ANCC President Patricia Reid Ponte, DNSc, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Her international leadership brings together multidisciplinary members of governments, organizations, cultures, and languages toward a common mission and understanding. It is our privilege to present her with this esteemed award.”
RADM Orsega is the Assistant Surgeon General and is the Director of Commissioned Corps Headquarters. In this role, she is responsible for managing personnel, business operations, readiness and deployment, and policy for nearly 6,200 members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She is the principal advisor to the Surgeon General on activities and policies related to Corps training, preparedness, activation, deployment, and total force fitness.
RADM Orsega served as the Chief Nurse Officer of the USPHS from May 2016 to October 2019. In this role, she advised the Office of the Surgeon General and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the recruitment, assignment, deployment, retention, and career development of nurse professionals, and was responsible for provide leadership to 4,500 Commissioned Corps and civilian nurses.
Prior to RADM Orsega joining the Office of the Surgeon General, she also served as a Senior Program Management Officer at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she was responsible for the operational management of international research partnerships with the South African and Malian governments. In 2015, she played a fundamental role in the U.S. government’s NIH Ebola response where she was one of the US NIH team members on the ground for first human vaccine trial in Liberia and Ebola treatment trial in Sierra Leone. RADM Orsega has a distinguished public health emergency and disaster care experience ranging from an elite medical team after 9/11 as well as 14 other national and international disaster/humanitarian USG missions.
In partnership with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Nursing, University of Washington School of Nursing, and the ANA, she provides strategic direction for the Nursing Now USA campaign to raise the profile and status of nurses nationwide.
RADM Orsega holds a BSN from Towson University in Maryland, and a master’s degree in nursing from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Nurse Practitioner Programin Bethesda, MD. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
The HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein Award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to healthcare across borders and demonstrated an exceptional dedication to nursing. It is named for Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein of Jordan and represents her deep commitment to the advancement of nursing in Jordan and around the globe. With a focus on education, scholarship, ongoing training, and professional development, HRH Princess Muna champions nursing and strengthens the healthcare workforce worldwide.
In April, the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) became the first healthcare organization in Jordan to achieve ANCC Magnet Recognition®. KHCC is also the first oncology hospital outside of the United States to attain the coveted Magnet credential. The Amman-based center treats more than 7,000 adult and pediatric cancer patients annually, offering the most specialized, comprehensive cancer care in the region. ###
About ANCC
The mission of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association, is to promote excellence in nursing and healthcare globally through credentialing programs. ANCC's internationally renowned credentialing programs certify and recognize individual nurses in specialty practice areas. ANCC recognizes healthcare organizations that promote nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes while providing safe, positive work environments. In addition, ANCC accredits healthcare organizations that provide and approve continuing nursing education, and accredits transition-to-practice programs that prepare nurses for new practice roles. For more information about ANCC, visit us at nursingworld.org/ancc and follow us on Twitter. ANCC is the only nurse credentialing organization to successfully achieve ISO 9001: 2015 certification.