Mentor of the Year Award
The Mentor of the Year Award recognizes a NANN member who consistently demonstrates the power of mentoring. Recipients are clinically and technically proficient, demonstrate outstanding teaching and motivational ability, and willingly share their knowledge and experience with others. This award was previously called the Navigator Award.
Applications for the 2025 awards are closed.
Candidates will be able to meet the following criteria:
• Must be a NANN member in good standing.
• Perform in a mentoring role (Preceptor, NNP, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nurse Manager, Educator, etc.).
• Demonstrate excellence in mentoring others.
• Utilize interpersonal, motivational, and teaching skills in the mentoring process.
• Facilitate team building, staff growth, and development.
• Promote a climate of learning for the novice and passion for educating that encourages, challenges, and inspires a model of professionalism for everyone.
Nomination and Selection Process:
NANN members can nominate a peer or self-nominate themselves for the Mentor of the Year Award. Nominations must include one letter of recommendation and a CV. Submitted applications are shared with the Awards Committee. Committee members review and score the applicants based on their ability to meet the award's criteria.
Recognition and Reimbursement:
The awardee will receive complimentary conference registration, airfare/ground transportation stipend of $500, housing stipend of $500, and a trophy at NANN's Annual Conference.
2024 Recipient:
Christine Newman, BSN MS NNP-BC
Click below to read more about Christine.
+ Read More
Christine Newman has dedicated her career to the youngest, most vulnerable patients, serving four decades in the NICU at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan and currently managing the NNP team for Henry Ford Health System. Her contributions have transformed NICU care at Henry Ford and globally. She is a sought-after educator, preceptor, and faculty member at Wayne State University. She has authored 21 publications, served on 11 research projects, and presented at over 60 conferences worldwide.
Her mentorship has been pivotal in developing the role of CNS for the NICU at Henry Ford Health. She created and offered Neonatal Intensive Nursing Critical Care Classes, initiated the first collaborative practice model at Henry Ford, and established a nurse exchange program in western Ukraine.
As a regional trainer of Neonatal Resuscitation, she developed a simulation lab for Henry Ford Health and collaborated to establish 17 NRP centers in seven countries of the former Soviet Union. Christine’s dedication to education and mentoring extends to staff and families, ensuring the best care for infants.
Her vision for the NNP role at Henry Ford led to a collaborative care model that is now a best practice. Over two decades, Christine built a large team of NNPs providing care at four system hospitals, mentored countless NNP students, bedside RNs, residents, and medical students. Throughout her 43-year career, her work has improved patient care and inspired changes in neonatology. Congratulations to our 2024 NANN Mentor of the Year Award Winner, Christine Newman.
Past Recipients:
+ Read More2023 - Lisa Grisham, MS NNP-BC
2022 - Margaret Hopkins, BSN RN CCRN C-ELBW CPLC
2021 - Andrea C. Morris, DNP CNS RNC-NIC CCRN NTMNC
2020 - Kristen Gerhardt, MSN RNC-NIC
2019 - Kelly Gilhousen, MSN RNC-NIC RN-BC
2018 - Susan Meier, DNP APRN NNP-BC
2017 - Susan Furdon, MS NNP-BC RNC
2016 - Amelia Bieda, PhD APRN PNP-BC NNP-BC
2015 - Shakira Henderson, PhD(c) DNP MS MPH RNC-NIC IBCLC
2014 - Anne Salice, MSN RN PNP NNP-BC
2013 - Jennifer Hamilton-Gilpin, BSN RN
2012 - Nancy Burke, MSN ARNP RNC-NIC
2011 - Tina Keane, BSN RNC-NIC
2010 - Pamela Spivey, MSN RN CCNS
