APRN Excellence Award

The APRN Excellence Award honors the outstanding contributions made by a advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) to the field of neonatal nursing through exemplary practice, leadership, service, and education.

Applications for the 2025 awards are closed.

Candidates will be able to meet the following criteria:

• Excellence in the practice and art of the APRN.
• Support and development of APRN functionality through role modeling, education, and mentorship.
• Creativity in managing and negotiating the complexity of APRN practice.
• Commitment to advancing the neonatal nursing practice by leadership contributions made at local, state, or national level.

Nomination and Selection Process:

NANN members can nominate a peer or self-nominate themselves for the APRN Excellence Award. Nominations must include one letter of recommendation and a CV. Submitted applications are shared with the APRN Award Selection Committee. Committee members review and score the applicants based on their ability to meet the award’s criteria. View a template for the letter of recommendation here.

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.

2025 Recipient:

Colleen Moss, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, C-ELBW

Colleen Moss, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, C-ELBW, is a dedicated neonatal nurse practitioner with a career that began in 2003 at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Following her time there, she returned to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in 2007, where she currently provides neonatal care in the Level IV NICU as well as a Level II NICU in Franklin, TN. Since joining Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2020, Colleen has served as the Academic Director for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program, where she is committed to advancing nursing education and practice.

Colleen earned her MSN from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in 2001 and completed her DNP at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2019. Her DNP translational project highlighted the significant benefits of mentoring programs on job satisfaction and retention among novice and experienced NNPs. In the past 6 years, she has over 25 publications in peer-reviewed journals covering topics of neonatal assessment, active learning strategies for NNP students, and mentoring new graduate neonatal nurse practitioners.

Colleen serves on the Board of Directors for the Florida Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners and is a surveyor for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Neonatal Verification Program. Her professional affiliations include the Academy of Neonatal Nurses, National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, American Nurses Association, and Tennessee Nurses Association. Additionally, she is a mentor instructor for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Neonatal Resuscitation Program.