NANN's Awards Program

Is there someone who has inspired you, perhaps on a daily basis, to be all that you can be? Is there a person who mentors you or sets the bar for standards for quality patient care? What colleague of yours deserves peer recognition for enthusiasm, knowledge, or a willingness to unselfishly devote his or her time? Maybe your chapter deserves recognition for its efforts to raise money for a March of Dimes walk, to host a conference, or to conduct a membership drive.
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, please take time to nominate a deserving colleague and take pride in knowing that award recipients honor you and your profession. Start thinking now about nominees for the award categories listed below:

• Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award: Any NANN member can nominate a Robyn Main candidate to recognize and encourage excellence in direct patient care.  (This award is sponsored by Draeger Medical, Inc.)
• Leadership Award: Open to any NANN member  in a leadership role, the purpose of this award is to encourage excellence in leadership.
• Chapter of the Year and Individual Chapter Project Awards: Chapters "self-nominate" so don't be modest! There is one recipient of the Chapter of the Year Award, which recognizes a group's overall accomplishments. Five other Individual Project Awards are offered for chapter communications, community service, educational offerings, fundraising, and membership recruitment and retention.
  

The submission deadline is June 1. Don't miss your chance to honor a colleague or your chapter!

2007 Award Recipients

Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award  
Jeanette Cronin, BSN RNC, has been a neonatal nurse for 29 years and is currently employed at Loyola University Medical Center’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Maywood, IL. In addition to her responsibilities in the NICU, Jeanette works in Loyola’s early discharge program with very sick babies that are discharged to home. As  the only nurse in the program to speak Spanish, she works with all of the Spanish families and helps to make sure they find Spanish-speaking pediatricians near their home. She is on call 24-hours-a-day for questions or emergencies and makes sure parents acquire the skills needed to care for a medically complex child at home. Jeanette is a strong advocate for the families she works with. Jeanette also does Spanish discharge teaching on the unit, develops family educational tools, is a preceptor for new staff, and translates anywhere on the Loyola campus when necessary. Jeanette’s nominators describe her as compassionate, dedicated, skilled, selfless, and a joy to work with.

Special Interest Group Leadership Award
Christine Ternullo-Retta, MSN RNC NNP CNS, is a perinatal clinical nurse specialist in the NICU at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Walnut Creek, CA. Christine serves on many regional committees in northern California, and is a consultant to various units at Kaiser regarding clinical practice issues. Christine give lectures, presentations, and is an invited speaker at local, regional, and national conferences. She selflessly gives of herself to neonatal nursing, and to the local NANN chapter. She has enthusiasm and passion for neonatal nursing, is an advocate for her patients, and a mentor for her colleagues. Christine’s nominator says, “Christine has a wonderful way of supporting others that brings out the best in each individual,”

Distinguished Leader in Neonatal Nursing Award
Robin Bissinger, PhD RNC NNP, is an assistant professor and NNP coordinator at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Robin was instrumental in creating the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, a division of NANN. Her vision to give NNPs a voice and leadership within the healthcare system has been inspirational to advanced practice nurses. Robin’s leadership skills were also evident during her tenure as president of NANN from 2005–2006. In May 2007, Robin headed a neonatal nursing delegation with People to People Ambassador Programs to China. She led 23 nurses from the United States, and coordinated presentations and discussions at hospitals in Beijing, Guilin, and Shanghai. Robin is recognized for her extensive clinical knowledge and skills that she readily shares with colleagues. She speaks nationally to both registered nurses and advanced practice nurses, and recently presented research at the NANN Research Summit. She is passionate about neonatal nursing and advocates for neonatal nurses at every opportunity.

Research Abstract Award

Debra Brandon, PhD RN, has worked in neonatal nursing for over 30 years and is currently an associate professor in the Duke University School of Nursing and the neonatal clinical nurse specialist for the Intensive Care Nursery at Duke University Hospital . Her research interests center around the area of high-risk infants and their families. Debra is recognized for her paper presentation entitled “The Effects of Cycled Light on Length of Hospital Stay and Weight Gain.”

Chapter of the Year 
The El Paso Area Association of Neonatal Nurses is a dynamic group of nurses that demonstrates pride and professionalism in everything they do. They offer a 2-day annual conference in addition to quarterly educational meetings, all of which include continuing education (CE). The chapter participates in numerous community service projects to benefit the March of Dimes, El Paso Rehabilitation Center, Smile Train, and Project Linus. To raise money for chapter events, they sell pizza cards, raffle tickets, T-shirts, and hold an auction. These events allow them to fund a chapter members’ attendance at conference, support community service, and offer CE. The chapter offers a reduced fee for 2-year memberships to improve retention rates. The chapter logo, which projects the chapter’s identity and sense of pride, appears on chapter correspondence, flyers, and the newsletter.

Individual Chapter Project Awards:
Chapter Communications- Southeastern Michigan Association of Neonatal Nurses (SMANN)
Community Service- Southeastern Michigan Association of Neonatal Nurses (SMANN)
Educational Offerings- Delaware Valley Association of Neonatal Nurses (DVANN)
Fundraising Efforts- Southeastern Michigan Association of Neonatal Nurses (SMANN)
Membership Recruitment and Retention- Southeastern Michigan Association of Neonatal Nurses (SMANN)

                         DVANN                                                                  SMANN