School of Nursing Celebrates Faculty, Staff at Award Ceremony | University of Rochester School of Nursing

The UR School of Nursing honored faculty and staff members’ accomplishments with several awards and recognitions at a luncheon in Evarts Lounge on May 10.

“Year-end celebrations are always special – they’re a great opportunity to take stock of all that we accomplished and recognize our faculty and staff for their hard work over the past 12 months,” said Dean Kathy Rideout, EdD, PPCNP-BC, FNAP.

Those awarded include:

• Andrew Wolf, MS, RN, ACNP, coordinator for educational initiatives, received the Outstanding Faculty Colleague Award for his tireless work to improve the learning experience at the school through developing high-quality online and hybrid programs, as well as interprofessional educational activities.

  

• Shannon Moreland, DNP, MS, RN, FNP, CEN, assistant professor of clinical nursing, received the Outstanding Scholarly Practitioner Award for her work to develop and implement evidence-based practice projects in Strong’s Emergency Department.

• Maria LaFaro, DNP, MS, ANP-BC, assistant professor of clinical nursing, received the Mary Dombeck Diversity Award for promoting faculty and student recognition of diversity and inclusion issues, especially the issues faced by transgender persons.

• David Goede, DNP, RN, CCRN, ACNP, assistant professor of clinical nursing, was awarded the Professional Advancement Award for his work in promoting the School of Nursing as president of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the Nurse Practitioner Association.

• Mina Attin, PhD, RN, assistant professor, was awarded Most Promising New Investigator for her strong record of success in both clinical and experimental research on cardiac arrhythmias and improving the quality of care for patients who experience cardiac arrest.

• Brenda Evarts, senior accountant, received the Outstanding Staff Member Award, for her dedication and hard work in the past year, taking on an additional role and learning a new accounting system.
  

• Mike Fisher, MBA, associate director of IT Services, won the Outstanding Staff Colleague Award, for his role in leading the IT service team in resolving 5,000 tickets per year and for always lending a helping hand.

• Teresa Burritt, with the School’s Center of Research and Evidence-Based Practice, received the Mary Dombeck Diversity Enhancement Staff Award for her work with the Council for Diversity and Inclusiveness.

• Laurie Chiumento, director of federal relations at the University of Rochester, received the Dean’s Appreciation Award.
  

• Andrea Allen, director of advancement, also received the Dean’s Appreciation Award.

Special recognition was also given to:

• Craig Sellers, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, GNP-BC, FNAP, was awarded the Josephine Craytor Nursing Faculty Award. The award recognizes outstanding nurse educators and helps further the professional development and research efforts of exceptional nursing faculty.

• Dianne Liebel, PhD, RN, assistant professor, was awarded the Terry Family Research Endowed Fund Award, to support her research and projects related to patient safety, specifically fall prevention and patient assessment in the older population.

• Beth Palermo, DNP, MS, RN, ANP-BC, ACNP-BC, assistant professor of clinical nursing, and Marie Flannery, PhD, RN, AOCN, research associate, won the Elaine C. Hubbard Center for Nursing Research on Aging Endowed Award, which furthers the research, education and evidence-based practice in the School of Nursing relating to nursing research for the aging population and their caretakers.

• Lynne Massaro, DNP, ANP-BC, assistant professor of clinical nursing and Vankee Lin, PhD, RN, assistant professor, received the Dr. Jeremy A. Klainer Entrepreneurship Fund which provides them with financial support for a project that corresponds to the school’s strategic priorities. 

At the end of the celebration, Kathy Rideout also recognized the retirement of Elizabeth Kellogg Walker, PhD, RN, assistant professor of clinical nursing. Walker was a member of the UR School of Nursing family for more than 50 years – as a student, alumna and faculty member.

A master educator and innovative researcher, she was formerly chair of the school’s Division of Health Care Systems and was director of the start-up joint MSN/MBA program with Simon School in the late ’80s/early ’90s.

She went to serve as dean of nursing at SUNY Institute of Technology, retiring as dean emeritus in 2000. That same year, she was honored as a UR Nursing Distinguished Alumna. She rejoined the UR School of Nursing a few years later and has most recently been working as a clinical assistant professor of nursing and writing mentor in the CAPS program.