Meet The Inaugural Shining Star Award Winners
These four nursing superstars were nominated by their peers at the Johns Hopkins-affiliated hospitals and School of Nursing, chosen as finalists by each institution’s leadership, and finally selected as winners by a committee of Hopkins nurse leaders.
The inaugural Johns Hopkins Nursing Shining Stars represent a diversity of specialties and skills, experience and strengths—and all serve as shining examples of Johns Hopkins Nursing in word, deed, and attitude.
Deborah Michell, Shining Hospital Star
Deborah Michell, RN, a nurse clinician in the Medical Nursing Department at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, coordinates care for complex HIV/AIDS patients on the Polk Unit. “She is always willing to go above and beyond with an upbeat ‘can do and will do’ attitude. She has endless compassion for HIV patients and underserved populations,” said her nominator. She also hasn’t missed a day of work in more than eight years! She’s active in her community, too, and this year she raised more than $13,000 for Moveable Feast, an organization that provides meals to underprivileged HIV patients.
Shining Student Star
The baccalaureate student finalist is tireless in her work promoting women’s health. She is an advocate for women experiencing domestic violence— her name remains unpublished here because she is a survivor herself—and leads the School’s Birth Companions Program, working to assign student-peer birth companions to assist pregnant moms before, during, and after birth. She’s the bridge between her fellow students, the faculty, and the local Baltimore women the program serves. Her nominator described her as a leader for her peer birth companions and “a true patient advocate, empowering patients to make their own decisions about labor and birth.”
Sherry Belcher, Shining Hospital Star
Sherry Belcher, MSN, RN, a clinical leader in the emergency center at All Children’s Hospital, “inspires others to strive for nursing excellence by truly leading by example.” Under her leadership, door-to-antibiotic time for hematology/oncology patients with a fever has decreased from 150 minutes to 85 minutes. She serves on the Patient Care Practice Council, chairs the department Downtime and Disaster Committees, serves as her department’s safety officer, and, according to her coworkers, “her drive and enthusiasm are infectious.” All Children’s Hospital, located in St. Petersburg, FL, joined the Johns Hopkins Health System in 2011.
Kathryn Kushto-Reese, Shining Faculty Star
Kathryn Kushto-Reese, MSN, RN, “really knows her stuff and helps you learn without making you feel stupid,” said one of her students. Kushto-Reese coordinates two baccalaureate nursing courses and works to develop and implement the School of Nursing’s Simulation program. She’s known for her dedicated mentorship of new faculty members and “her ability to teach her students in a manner that inspires is a true gift in academia.” She is a clinical instructor in the Department of Acute and Chronic Care.
Shining Stars Runners Up
Kathleen Becker, DNP, MSN, RN
Assistant Professor, Department of Community-Public Health
Rebecca Coppola, RN
Graduate Student Organization Leader
MSN/MPH Program
Lori Keim, RN
Nursing Informatics Associate
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Kathy Lee-Wisdom, RN
Wound Care Nurse
Howard County General Hospital
Chona Umali, RN
Oncology Staff Nurse
Suburban Hospital
