Four direct-care nurses and a nurse leader from Penn Medicine Princeton Health were among 45 nurses across the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) who were recognized at the 21st annual Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards Ceremony, held virtually on April 26.
Individuals at each UPHS entity nominate nurses whose contributions impacted the practice of nursing in one of five key areas (listed below). A peer committee reviews the nominations and selects the awardees. The five categories and the Princeton Health awardees are:
Lilian Brunner Award for Exemplary Practice
Jordan Mento, BSN, Critical Care
An advocate for patients and their families, Mento participates in the Failure to Rescue team and has contributed an invaluable perspective to improving the recognition and response to patients’ clinical decline during hospitalization. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she demonstrated extraordinary resilience and remained positive, providing a source of comfort and inspiration to the members of the Critical Care team.
Rosalyn J. Watts Award for Community/Patient/Family Relationship
Joyce Hertzog, DNP, Palliative Care
A palliative care advanced practice nurse, Hertzog is responsible for the care and treatment of patients in the hospital as well as the surrounding community. Hertzog sees every patient and family as unique and develops a caring and trusting relationship, while guiding them in their illness trajectory. Her devotion to the practice of palliative care has improved the lives of those in need through her selflessness, compassion, and courage.
Diane Lanham Award for Leadership
Debbie Brian-Taft, MSN, Surgical Services
At the peak of the pandemic, Brian-Taft stepped forward to support her peers in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. Her kind, supportive, and encouraging leadership style brought a sense of calm to a team of clinical nurses as they adapted their practice to provide care for critically ill COVID-19 patients. Brian-Taft’s clinical leadership, walking side by side with her clinical nursing peers in an extremely challenging time, was a testament to her selfless commitment to patients and their families.
Helen McClelland Award for Research and Innovation
Christine Trusiani, BSN, Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE)
Trusiani excels in clinical and professional practice and has a passion for ensuring that patients and families receive the best quality care. She worked with a multi-professional team and, alongside the palliative care nurse practitioner, developed an innovative, evidence-based educational intervention that focuses on nurses’ knowledge of and confidence in recommending palliative care to providers, patients, and families.
Victoria L. Rich Award for Transformational Leadership
Daphne Berei, MSN, ACE and Clinical Decision Unit
Berei inspires, motivates, and influences others while fostering a culture of organizational excellence. She solves complex problems with ease and her transparent and transformational leadership style brings teams together to advance patient care in new and innovative ways. During the past year she was tasked with transforming ACE unit into a complete COVID-19 unit. Her presence and leadership were truly remarkable as she provided the support, resources, and education her team needed.