Distinguished Service in NANN Award

The Distinguished Service in NANN Award recognizes outstanding and dedicated service to the association. The award honors an individual that has advanced the mission of NANN in a significant and lasting way. 

Applications for the 2025 awards are closed.

Candidates will be able to meet the following criteria:

Demonstrate contributions to NANN through innovative and/or exceptional performance of duties incident to the offices, SIGs, committees, and/or task forces on which (s)he has served.

Nomination and Selection Process:

Nominees will be members of the NANN Board, NANNP Council, committee or task force chairs or members, and SIG facilitators. NANN’s Board of Directors will review the nominations and select the awardee. You may not self-nominate for the Distinguished Service in NANN Award.

Recognition and Reimbursement:

The awardee will receive complimentary conference registration, airfare/ground transportation stipend of $600, housing stipend of $500, $250 honorarium, and a trophy at NANN’s Annual Conference.

2025 Recipient:

Thomasine Farrell BSN, RN

Thomasine Farrell BSN, RN is a retired staff nurse from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she worked in the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for over 23 years. Prior to her role at CHOP, she worked as a staff nurse in other NICU’s in Philadelphia. In her role as a staff nurse in the NICU she precepted new nurses, was the Coordinating Council chair, unit bereavement coordinator, was on the special delivery unit team, a breastfeeding resource nurse and transport team.

Ms. Farrell’s is a fierce advocate for neonates and their families and has been an active NANN member since 2001 at both the local Delaware Valley (DVANN) chapter and at the national level. While President of the DVANN chapter she created the Advocacy committee, supported the creation of a local podcast in 201?? called Baby Buzz. After her term as President, Tommie went on to chair the local advocacy committee leading her local chapter in advocacy efforts at the local, state and national levels. In 2016, Ms. Farrell was elected to the NANN Board of Directors as the Staff Nurse Director at Large where she served for two 2-year terms. After completing her term on the board, Ms. Farrell became the chair of the NANN’s national Health Policy Committee for 2 years until her retirement. After her retirement, Ms. Farrell continues to contribute to NANN by keeping leadership abreast of issues related to maternal and neonatal care being affected by national policy.

She has published on advocacy issues in the NANN From the Hill newsletter and traveled with CHOP to the Dominican Republic to provide pediatric care for children.

Ms. Farrell received her RN from Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing and her BSN from Immaculata University.

Past Recipients: