2018 Award Winners

The Nurse Responder of the Year Award was established to recognize nurses that have made outstanding achievements and contributions in emergency preparedness and disaster response to national or international public health threats. The 2018 winner was LT Neil Pitero Barranta MSN, RN, CCRN for his outstanding leadership in Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Ebola preparation in the United States. He was instrumental in the development of processes and procedures used at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assure the safety of staff, the environment and patients during the treatment of several critically -ill Ebola-infected patients receiving care at the NIH Clinical Center.

The Lucille Woodville Award recognizes a nurse midwife or a maternal/child health nurse who makes a notable contribution to the health and well-being of mothers and/or newborns; demonstrates remarkable contributions in improving maternal/child health; contributes commitment of their time and skills in the clinical setting or contributes through the innovative design, implementation, and/or management of maternal/child health programs. The 2018 winner was CDR Janette Yu-Shears MSN, RN for her contributions to improving maternal/child health in Africa by leading the implementation of an innovative nursing/midwifery capacity building program.

The Minnegerode Awards for Nursing Excellence (MANE) recognize and honor contribution by Commissioned Corps, Civil Service, and Tribal Direct hire nurses of outstanding and sustained nature, which have had a substantial impact on the mission of the USPHS. There are five MANE awards.  

The Hanzel Award for Administrative Activities- Exemplary leadership as a nurse executive resulting in noteworthy accomplishments in management of a health care program. The 2018 winner was CDR Thomas R. Liles, FNP-C- for his outstanding administrative and leadership contributions in establishing the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ first National Workers’ Compensation Unit.

The Gregg Group Award for Teamwork is awarded for exemplary leadership contributions by a team of nurses resulting in noteworthy accomplishments and positive outcomes towards the attainment of PHS goals. The 2018 winners are: CAPT Angel Rivasrivera, RN; CAPT Sumner Bossler, RN; CDR Ivan Pierce, RN; LCDR Cynda Hall, RN; LCDR Carrie Schuler, RN; Ms. Linda Wisniewski, RN, for successfully spearheading the Responder Health Statement initiative and substantially improving the overall National Disaster Medical System readiness and response capabilities nationwide.

The Petry Leone Award for Health Promotion and Education is awarded for exemplary leadership resulting in noteworthy accomplishments in patient/client or professional education, which informs and educates consumers and/or health care practitioners about significant health-related issues and promotes healthy lifestyles. The 2018 winner was Shiree M. Southerland, Ph.D., RN for exceptional dedication and leadership over the implementation of the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Mentoring Program for the In-Center Hemodialysis while serving as a Health Insurance Specialist.

The three Publication Awards recognize outstanding contributions to various aspects of nursing practice through authored publications.

The Faye G. Abdellah Publication Award recognizes nurses who stimulate the development of nursing knowledge and practice through scientific investigation and research. The 2018 winner was CAPT Margaret Watkins for her publication “Missed opportunities and barriers for vaccination: a descriptive analysis of private and public health facilities in four African countries.”

The RADM O. Marie Henry Publication Award recognizes nurses who author publications highlighting clinical nursing practice. The 2018 winner was CDR Leslie Wehrlen for her publication “Systematic collection of patient reported outcomes research data: A checklist for clinical research professionals.”

The RADM Julia Plotnick Publication Award recognizes nurses authoring publications that inform and educate consumers and/or health care practitioners about significant health-related issues. The 2018 winner was CDR Amy Kolwaite for her publication “Hepatitis B vaccine stored outside the cold chain setting: a pilot study in rural Lao PDR.”