APRN Rising Star Award

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Rising Star is for an APRN who exemplifies passion for their work and is making a large impact in a short time through exemplary practice, leadership, service, and education. A Rising Star contributes to the growth of the profession in the early stages of their career by engaging in projects, publications, activities, and initiatives that demonstrate achievements that have a sustained and positive impact on his/her institution and the profession as a whole. 

Applications for the 2025 awards are closed.

Candidates will be able to meet the following criteria:

• Within their first five years of practice.
• Demonstrate excellence in the practice and art of advanced practice neonatal nursing.
• Show creativity and innovation for change to improve outcomes.
• Exhibit leadership skills as appropriate for early career APRNs.
• Participates in projects, publications, and initiatives to demonstrate a steady increase in achievements.

Nomination and Selection Process:

NANN members can nominate a peer or self-nominate themselves for the APRN Rising Star Award. Nominations must include one letter of recommendation and a CV. Submitted applications are shared with the APRN Award 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 recommenation 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:

Vanessa Abacan, DNP APRN-CNS, RNC-MNN, EBP-C 

Vanessa Abacan is a board-certified Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist and nationally certified maternal newborn nurse with over a decade of nursing experience since 2013. Her clinical background spans maternal, neonatal, and pediatric care, with progressive leadership roles in healthcare systems including Quality and Patient Safety.

Vanessa earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Johns Hopkins University in 2023, where she focused on promoting infant intraoperative skin-to-skin contact during cesarean deliveries. Her project integrated evidence-based practice, implementation science, and extraordinary leadership, earning her the Johns Hopkins Nurses’ Alumni Association Award. She has since led system-level strategies aligned with regulatory standards and grounded in human-centered, equity-informed care. Her leadership emphasizes just culture, workforce well-being, and psychologically safe environments for clinicians.

Vanessa’s influence extends beyond the clinical setting. Using her own experience of being bullied in nurse leadership, she now serves as the founder of Heartfold Healing™, the first CNS-developed recovery system for nurses navigating moral injury, workplace harm, and psychological trauma. Her brand focuses on an innovative, systems-aware alternative to traditional resilience training, with an emphasis on healing, accountability, and ethical repair.

Vanessa continues to speak and consult on topics such as institutional trust, workforce recovery, and post-incident support models for nurses. Her work is advancing a national conversation around leadership accountability and trauma-responsive care in the profession. Through research, advocacy, and nurse-centered education, she is building a future where healing the workforce is treated as a clinical priority.