They have been called guardian angels, miracle workers, friendly faces, and lifelines in times of crisis. We applaud their selfless service and tireless dedication to the community. They have been a reassuring presence to anxious family members. They have mentored and educated others in their field. They have created and implemented new programs that enhance the quality of patient care. They have advocated for public health. They have set the bar higher for themselves and those with whom they work.

They are nurses who make a difference in the lives of those they meet. B-Metro is proud to honor 21 of them as the recipients of the 2010 Annual Excellence in Nursing Awards.

Award winners were nominated by supervisors at hospitals and health care facilities, and the top 21—who are profiled below—were chosen by a committee of medical professionals.

Our committee of judges included:
Lenora Pate heads the Health Care Consulting practice at Alabama law firm Sirote & Permutt, PC.
Bob Bernstein has served as Chief Operating Officer of two large medical centers and as President and Chief Executive Officer of the 586-bed Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham.
Roberta J. Shapiro, MPH, MBA is a former Chicago hospital administrator and former executive director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama.

Join us as B-Metro pays tribute to these outstanding medical professionals on Thursday, August 26, 6:30 p.m. at a special dinner and awards banquet at The Harbert Center, 2019 4th Avenue North. Swag bags will be provided for all attendees.

We promise an evening of uplifting spirit and inspiration.

Individual Tickets: $70.00 each
Tables of 8: $500.00

Click here to request a form to order your tickets.
Call Vicki Grodner at 205.422.9713 or 205.202.6023 to order by phone.
To order by mail make checks payable to Fergus Media and mail to:
PO Box 12863, Birmingham AL 35202

Navigator

UAB School Of Nursing

Children's Health Systems

Brookwood Hospital

Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing

Name: Paula Midyette, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC, CCRN
Education: BSN and MSN from UAB School of Nursing,
Board Certified Advanced Practice Clinical Nurse Specialist
Specialty: Cardiovascular Intensive Care
Current Employer: UAB Medical Center

Once a winner, always a winner. Paula was the recipient of UAB Hospital’s Clinical Excellence in Nursing for Advanced Practice Nurses this year. Currently the Advanced Nursing Coordinator for UAB Hospital’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, Paula has years of experience in Cardiothoracic surgery, adult and pediatric critical care, and nursing education. She is also dedicated to her community by participating in The Heart Guild, The Sweethearts, The Lovelady Center and Mitchell’s Place.

Name: Tim Keener, RN (pictured on previous page)
Education: ADN from Gadsden State Community College,
BSN from University of Alabama in Huntsville
Specialty: Surgical Intensive Care Unit
Current Employer: St. Vincent’s Hospital

“Have guitar, will sooth” could be St. Vincent’s nurse Tim Keener’s motto. Currently working in the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Tim has been known on several occasions to bring his guitar to work and perform for elderly patients in SICU. No matter how busy he is, Tim is always willing to lend a hand to others or take time to speak with families. The sheer energy with which he performs his duty has been said to “make you feel like you are moving in slow motion.”

Name: Janet Skotnicki, RN
Education: ADN from Jefferson State
Community College and UAB School of Nursing
Specialty: Coronary Care
Current Employer: UAB Medical Center

Janet has spent most of her career in UAB Hospital’s Coronary Care Unit, although she’s worked most recently in the Interventional Cardiology office. Although she suffers from a neurological illness that slowly affected her ability to be a patient care nurse, her years of experience in a unit where nurses have a high burn-out rate made her invaluable as a relief charge nurse and preceptor, training nurses to the new unit. Her care for others overflows into all parts of her life beyond nursing. For six years she volunteered with her dog, Annabelle, as a Hand-in-Paw animal-assisted therapy team, spending 100 hours a year visiting children undergoing radiation treatment at UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Name: Anne W. Wojner Alexandrov, PhD, RN, CCRN, FAAN
Education: PhD in Physiology from Texas Woman’s University, MSN & BSN from University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, RN from Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing
Specialty: Critical Care & Emergency Neurovascular Nursing
Current Employer: UAB Medical Center

Throughout her career at the UAB Comprehensive Stroke Center, UAB Nursing Staff, and the Department of Neurology, Anne’s accomplishments have been many: achieving treatment rate increases from four patients in 2007 to 106 patients in 2009; opening a 20-bed, “universal concept” Stroke Unit; developing a Stroke Unit Nursing Research program; and assisting with the development of a telemedicine system. She has served on numerous committees including the Alabama Department of Public Health’s Cardiovascular Task Force and National Quality Forum’s Consensus Standard Approval Committee, as well as chaired the NQF’s Stroke Committee. Anne regularly speaks at conferences around the world on acute stroke management and stroke systems development. This year she completed two studies with her nursing colleagues on the Stroke Unit, and both were presented at the International Stroke Conference

Name: Ellen Dean Lazarre, RN, BSN
Education: BSN from University of Arkansas
Specialty: Hematology/Oncology
Current Employer: UAB Medical Center

Ellen has worked at UAB Hospital in Oncology since 2007 as a full-time staff nurse.  Oncology patients require care, compassion, and kindness which  Ellen provides to them on a daily basis.  With a gentle, non-judgemental nature, Ellen’s kindness and dedication reach far beyond patient care.  Whether precepting an orientee, working on quality improvement activities, or serving within the community, she is always the consummate professional. Her peers often seek her advice and knowledge on a full range of tasks.  
 

Name: Joy Payne Deupree, PhD(c), MSN, APRN-BC
Education: PhD from University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Alabama
(joint program), BSN and MSN from University of Alabama at Birmingham
Specialty: Women’s Health/Health Literacy
Current Employer: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Payne Deupree has a unique gift to address problems head on, develop quick and highly effective solutions, and execute those solutions to the betterment of all involved. In 2002 at UAB, she and a co-worker wrote and received funding to conduct research and develop an intervention to improve health literacy and fever management for caregivers of children from six months to six years of age. She has had a profound impact on the healthcare profession by raising awareness and understanding of health literacy by healthcare workers and patients. Joy also has been awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award by the Central Alabama Literacy Council.

Name: Loretta Preston, RN
Education: ADN from Jefferson State Community College; MSN (Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner), BSN from University of Alabama at Birmingham
Specialty: Women’s Health
Current Employer: Princeton Hospital

A giving, driven person, Loretta has been a practicing RN for over 25 years. She was a CRNP at UAB until her retirement last year. However, this break in service did not last long when she decided to join the staff at Princeton Hospital’s Maternity Clinic. She has helped build a future for women’s services in West End and has been an excellent example of the mission for which she works: To love women and serve them regardless of their circumstance. She was involved for many years at the UAB Complications Clinic and teaches at UAB’s School of Nursing in both the undergraduate program and as a clinical instructor. She also works as an irregular RN on the mother baby unit at UAB.

Name: Jill Cunningham, DNP, FNP-BC
Education: DPN from University of Tennessee, MSN and BSN from University of Alabama at Birmingham
Specialty: Disabilities
Current Employer: Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing, Samford University

Currently an associate professor in the graduate program at the Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing at Samford University, Jill is also an active nurse, volunteer, community advocate, wife, and mother. She ensures that children and adults with developmental disabilities receive the care and support they deserve. As a highly credentialed nurse and a parent of a child with a developmental disability, Jill is the driving force behind many community projects aimed at improving access and quality of care and life for these individuals. Most recently, Dr. Cunningham and her team were awarded a grant from the Alabama Council for Developmental Disabilities to provide collaborative mobile health services to children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Name: Lynn Jeter, MSN, RNC-OB
Education: BSN from University of Alabama, MSN from Jacksonville State University
Specialty: Women’s Health
Current Employer: Brookwood Medical Center

Lynn has had 25 years of experience in Labor and Delivery and Perinatal High Risk unit. She is known for her willingness to help in any capacity and her always positive attitude, even under great strain. Well loved and respected by everyone around her, Lynn has spearheaded Brookwood Medical Center’s effort to increase breastfeeding rates among new moms with strong positive feedback from patients. She has also spent time educating the Women’s staff about this process. Lynn has been a leader in planning the Women’s Comprehensive Care Conference, providing affordable education to nurses in Alabama and surrounding areas.

Name: Karen Bolling-Walker, RN, BSN
Education: BSN from University of Alabama at Birmingham
Specialty: Care Manager
Current Employer: UAB Medical Center

Karen has over 22 years of healthcare experience, having served in a variety of roles as a staff nurse, charge nurse and presently as a care manager for Cardiovascular Surgery. She has been instrumental in developing the service-line’s process improvement team, identifying opportunities to be more cost effective in the utilization of resources, and developing education materials for improvement of staff performance. Karen was nominated and selected for a strong work ethic, self-motivation, professionalism and the ability to make things happen.

Name: Jane Chandler, RN
Education: ADN from Wallace State Junior College, Multiple Competency Clinical Technician certification from UAB School of Allied Health, Associate Degree in Applied Sciencefrom Wallace State Junior College
Specialty: Surgery
Current Employer: Trinity Medical Center

In the medical field since 1979, Jane has been recognized for providing the highest quality care in a genuine, caring and compassionate manner. While working at her current employer, Trinity Medical Center, Jane has received the Patient Choice Award, four awards as outstanding evening shift RN, the Ida V. Moffett award for courage in care and an award for perfect attendance. Before joining the Trinity team, she worked for 19 years as a Certified Medical Assistant in a pediatrician’s office.

Name: Dr. Karen Saenz, PhD, MPH, MSN, CPNP
Education: PhD from University of Central Florida, MSN from University of Florida, MPH and BSN from UAB
Specialty: Pediatric Obesity
Current Employer: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Karen teaches in the UAB School of Nursing where she serves as a mentor for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students with a particular emphasis on community awareness education for obesity prevention. Deeply involved in pediatric obesity, she serves as a role model for parents to develop the skills and health behavioral role modeling necessary for life style changes and patient improvement. She is also involved in several pediatric obesity research studies, trying to better obesity complication identification methodology. Dr. Saenz serves on the Jefferson County Obesity Task Force and the State of Alabama Obesity Task Force.

Name: Martha June, LPN
Education: LPN from Bessemer
State Technical College
Specialty: Home Based 
Primary Care
Current Employer: Birmingham 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Martha has been an LPN with Home Based Primary Care at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center for almost 15 years. Martha’s tireless efforts, keen observational skills, and technical judgment have helped many dependent veterans live out their years in their own homes. Martha also serves as a mentor for new employees, and others turn to Martha for her knowledge of departmental policies and procedures. Many who work alongside her joke, “When you don’t know, go ask Martha.” Martha also serves as Chairman of the LPN Standards Board at the VA.
 

Name: Susan Alexander, RN
Education: BSN from Samford University
Specialty: House Supervisor
Current Employer: Shelby Baptist Medical Center

Known for her positive attitude, Susan currently serves as a Nurse Manager at Shelby Baptist Medical Center, a recent switch from her position as House Supervisor. Co-workers describe her as “a selfless individual and dedicated to helping those in need or suffering” who “proactively anticipates and meets the needs of others.” In addition to her job at Shelby Baptist, Susan also participates in mission trips to Ecuador and was part of the first team that Baptist Health system sent to aid and minister to victims of the recent Haitian earthquake. She has also been an active volunteer at Hope Clinic, which provides health and wellness care to the uninsured in Shelby County.

Name: Lynda Wilson, RN, PhD, FAAN
Education: PhD from University of Tennessee– Knoxville, MSN from University of Delaware, BSN from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Specialty: Professor, Researcher and Collaborator in International Nursing
Current Employer: University of Alabama at
Birmingham

Dr. Wilson is a professor and assistant dean for International Affairs at UAB, deputy director of the World Health Organization, associate director for Nursing Programs at UAB, and fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Her care for children extends from premature infants to at-risk adolescents, from local communities to the other side of the world. She received her PhD from University of Tennessee Knoxville and established the pediatric nurse practitioner program there. She has made substantial contributions to the health and welfare of children through her lifetime work in nursing research, education, and collaboration. In recent years, she has focused on the needs of at-risk Latino youth in Alabama and Latin American countries.

Name: Kelley Williams, RN
Education: BSN from University of South Alabama
Specialty: Acute Adult Medical
Current Employer: Brookwood Medical Center

Kelley Williams lives out her professional calling in a very compassionate and dedicated fashion. She is the Nurse Leader for a 45-Bed Acute Medical Unit at Brookwood Medical Center and has coached and mentored a strong team of excellent caregivers, whom together under Kelley’s leadership have achieved phenomenal high quality and high customer service outcomes. Her unit is a “preferred” unit by repeat customers regardless of their admitting diagnosis. Kelley makes rounds to each patient and family every day and is very attentive to their needs and has a personal investment in all of them. Kelley is described as a “true Florence Nightingale mentee.” She emulates all of the characteristics of Florence’s compassion, dedication and perseverance to high quality patient outcomes. Kelly is a “leader” in nursing regardless if her role is following or leading. She is a patient advocate in every sense of the word and balances all aspects of being a nurse, care provider, leader mentor and coach to the fullest extent.

Name: Penny Knight, RN, BSN
Education: BSN from University of Alabama in 
Huntsville
Specialty: Emergency Department
Current Employer: Brookwood Medical Center

Penny currently serves as Nurse Manager of the Emergency Department at Brookwood Medical Center. She commits no less than 100 percent to ensuring excellent patient care in her department. Penny is not afraid to ask questions and is always looking to improve care. She implemented the Emergency Department Unit Council and continues to serve as its advisor, assisting as needed in implementing improvements in patient care and procedures. She developed, implemented and maintains Patient Satisfaction cards, a great opportunity for immediate feedback from patients.