Ten members of the Johns Hopkins Nursing community are finalists for the Shining Star Award, given each year to reward the best of the best.
Four awards are presented in three categories: faculty, student, and Hopkins-affiliated hospital nurse. Winners will be announced September 28 at An Evening With the Stars, the annual gala saluting and celebrating Hopkins nurses, students, alumni, and friends.
Faculty finalists:
Lori Edwards, DrPH, RN, APRN--“Everyone who comes into contact with her becomes a better person,” a student wrote of Instructor Lori Edwards, whose teaching and research focus on underserved populations in Baltimore and several countries. She founded the School of Nursing’s Community Outreach Program, coordinates global health placements for students, and directs the Coverdell Fellows Program for returned Peace Corps volunteers.
Laura Taylor, PhD, RN--Laura Taylor is “sensitive, honest, and genuine … Her enthusiasm for teaching is contagious,” says one nomination for the assistant professor, also a member of the international transplant committee. Taylor has been a nurse practitioner in intensive care, interventional radiology, and abdominal organ transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is an expert in the use of computer-based information technologies to advance both research and education.
Student Finalists:
Jamie Hatcher, RN (MSN student)--A former Peace Corps volunteer, Jamie Hatcher works in the Birth Companion program, predominantly serving the local refugee community, and as a mentor to peers. “Direct and brave in her communications,” Hatcher is “a great advocate for these mothers, ensuring they receive patient-centered care despite cultural and language barriers.”
Emily Hutto, RN (FNP student)--Recognized for her bedside manner, Emily Hutto has represented Johns Hopkins “in an extremely positive way” as an emergency nurse, as a doula, and in clinical rotations. Focused on primary care and chronic disease management, she will “listen to her patients and truly show them how much she cares” and not just see a disease or illness.
Hopkins-affiliated Hospital Nurse Finalists (two awards):
Keith Franqueiro, RN (All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla.)--Systems analyst Keith Franqueiro is “a role model” who works with the perioperative services team to enhance quality, safety, and efficiency of care, drawing upon 16 years of experience. He led the implementation of the electronic medical record system across the perioperative services areas. “Keith is admired and respected by surgeons, management, and staff.”
Suzanne Honchalk, RN, MSN (Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC)--As nurse navigator, a role built for her, Suzanne Honchalk has overseen a 50 percent reduction in same-day surgery cancellations and a half-day decrease in length of stay for total hip and knee replacements. “Patient advocate, educator, liaison, and counselor,” Honchalk created the preoperative screening tool, and oversaw the translation of educational materials into Spanish.
Brigid Linsenmeyer, RN, BSN, PCCN (Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center)--Compassion and communication are Brigid Linsenmeyer’s strengths. An advanced clinical nurse, Linsenmeyer started daily shift “huddles” to quickly address safety concerns and share information and a “goals sheet” for physicians doing rounds. She is “assertive and professional” in communicating patient issues to providers and “always thinking of ways to improve retention” by developing incentives for top nurses and techs.
Periwinkle “Wink” MacKay, RN, BSN, MSN (Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD)--“Positive and collaborative,” certified ICU nurse Periwinkle MacKay “takes the time to do the special things,” excelling in post-operative cardiovascular care and in teaching newer nurses how it’s done (she “developed the CV Training Manual”). She also redesigned the Emergency Sternotomy Cart for efficiency. “We are so thankful to have her on our team!”
Donna Prow, RN, BSN (Johns Hopkins Hospital)--ICU Nurse Manager Donna Prow “encourages nurses to ask critical questions, make decisions, and take initiative.” Her number is in each patient room as well, with an invitation for families to call with any concerns. Her standards of patient care are a magnet for loyalty and commitment from her staff. “Donna helps nurses find their voice.”
Nancy Smith, RN, BSN, MAS (Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, MD)--Nancy Smith’s “fearless, calm, and comprehensive leadership” as a nurse champion guided a successful Epic implementation. The senior director of patient care services is “a tireless advocate” with a constant focus on how every decision and every change in workflow affects the front line nursing staff. “She is truly a nurse’s nurse.”
In addition to the Shining Star Awards, this year’s gala features the inaugural Cynthia and Peter Rosenwald Star Nurse of the Year award, established to recognize nurses working in Hopkins’s intensive care units who go above and beyond the call of duty.
An Evening With the Stars begins at 6:30 p.m. September 28 in the Anne M. Pinkard Building and its courtyard at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore. New this year to the event is the “Boulevard of Stars” where colleagues, former patients, friends, and families can buy a star and cast their favorite nurse, faculty member, mentor, or nursing student as a member of the Hopkins galaxy of stars.
An Evening With the Stars is also about giving non-nurses the chance to walk--not a mile, but perhaps the length of a hallway--in a nursing student’s shoes, through entertaining and informative displays and simulation lab exercises.
Honor a favorite nurse, faculty member, mentor, or nursing student with a star in one of three categories--Gold, Silver, and Black. A Gold Star is $500, Silver is $250, and Black is $125. With the purchase of two tickets to the event, the star prices fall to $400, $200, and $100, respectively. Contact Sandra White at [email protected] or 410-614-7961.
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