Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice Award

This award is given in honor of Robyn Main, MSN RNC, to encourage and recognize neonatal nurses who provide exemplary direct patient care.

Robyn was a staff developmental specialist and perinatal clinical nurse specialist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL. She received the Florida Nurses Association “Nurses Who Make a Difference Award” and received one of the first research grants awarded by NANN. Her continued dedication to patients, families, and neonatal nursing in spite of a battle with terminal cancer was a source of inspiration to her colleagues.

Applications for the 2025 awards are closed.

Candidates will be able to meet the following criteria:

• Maintain currency in clinical knowledge
• Demonstrate expert communication skills
• Practice a model of family-centered care
• Exhibit meticulous attention to detail in daily practice
• Facilitate an interdisciplinary plan of care for patients
• Be viewed as an exemplary role model

Nomination and Selection Process:

NANN members can nominate a peer or self-nominate themselves for the Robyn Main Excellence in Clinical Practice 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.

2025 Recipient:

Melinda Pariser-Schmidt, MSN RNC-NIC IBCLC

Melinda Pariser-Schmidt works as a direct care nurse in the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University of Vermont Medical Center and is a full-time student in the Nursing Research PhD program at University of Nebraska Medical Center. Melinda’s areas of interest include SIDS mitigation strategies for at-risk infants and support for opioid-exposed infants and families with substance use disorders. Melinda has a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from the University of Vermont and a Masters Degree in Nursing Leadership from Norwich University. Melinda maintains specialty certifications as an RNC-NIC and an IBCLC. Melinda was honored to join the NANN Citizen Delegation to Sweden in February 2025 and was a participant in the 2023 NANN Research Summit for her quality improvement project using responsive infant bassinets for NICU infants with NAS / NOWS. In her free time Melinda loves to travel and explore the world with her three children Isabel, Owen, and Liv, and her husband Andrew.