Nurses Recognition Banquet: Past Honorees

Each May during National Nurses Week, the UW School of Nursing hosts its Nurses Recognition Banquet to honor outstanding nurses and nursing leaders. This celebration, which debuted in 1980, acknowledges the many ways the profession of nursing improves health and touches lives. Each year, the school presents four awards. Below are past winners for the:

The Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes a UW School of Nursing alumna or alumnus whose career in nursing exemplifies excellence in clinical practice, leadership in professional organizations, outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the community.
The Distinguished Research Award, which recognizes a nurse researcher whose professional achievements and cumulative contributions have brought personal distinction, enhanced the profession, improved the welfare of the general public and brought honor and prestige to his or her field.
The Humanitarian Award, which honors a nurse whose dedicated work and exemplary service have benefited society and the practice of nursing. Any nurse who has demonstrated service above and beyond expectations is eligible for the Humanitarian Award.
The Outstanding Volunteer Award, which acknowledges a volunteer who embodies the ideals of the UW School of Nursing and whose leadership, dedication and contributions reflect an ongoing commitment to serve others through his or her vision and support of the school.

In addition you can view the videos that are shown each year at the event. (Requires Windows Media Player) They include photos and testimonials about the winners as well as a focus on one of our many clinical partners from the Puget Sound region:

Distinguished Alumni Award

2007 Mary Salazar, BSN '82, MN '86, EdD, FAAN, University of Washington
Mary Salazar, professor in the UW School of Nursing's Department of Psychosocial and Community Health, has literally written the book on occupational health nursing, editing the third edition of the Core Curriculum for Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing. She is an internationally recognized researcher on the health risks of migrant and seasonal farm workers. Her work has addressed health risks associated with orchard work and pesticide exposure, and she has orchestrated successful collaborations among researchers, clinicians and members of the agricultural community.

2006 Deborah Martin, MN '76, RN, FSHEA, Infection Control and Prevention Analysts Inc.
Deborah Martin co-founded the patient-safety software company Infection Control and Prevention Analysts Inc. in 1984. Prior to becoming a business owner, she served a nurse epidemiologist for the Texas Department of Health investigating disease outbreaks and advising infection control professionals. She continues to be valued consultant to the UW School of Nursing's infectious disease master's program and has authored textbook chapters on the care of patients with infectious and inflammatory diseases.

2005 Kathleen Shannon Dorcy, MN '91, RN, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Since 1989, Kathleen Shannon Dorcy has coordinated clinical trials at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC), where she is highly regarded for her dedication to medical ethics. She is a member of FHCRC's Ethics Oversight Committee, Ethics Consultant Committee and Institutional Review Board. She is also a recognized expert on the care and treatment of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), and is chair of the AML National Oncology Nurse Advisory Board.

2004 Rebecca Kang, PhD, RN, University of Washington
Rebecca Kang, an associate professor of in the UW School of Nursing's Department of Psychosocial & Community Health, is most known for her work as a master teacher and community advocate for immigrants and minority families. She joined the UW nursing faculty in 1989 and has focused her research on testing innovative nursing therapies for high-risk mothers and their infants. Kang remains in the forefront of local public health nurse training efforts through her work on the Washington State Public Health Training Grant for Improving Child and Family Health.

Distinguished Research Award

2007 Elaine Adams Thompson, BSN '70, MN '72, PhD '90, RN, University of Washington
Elaine Adams Thompson, the Sandra and Peter Dyer Term Professor in Nursing in the UW School of Nursing's Department of Psychosocial and Community Health, has dedicated her career to improving the health and well-being of adolescents, focusing her research on prevention of adolescent depression, aggression, substance use, risky behaviors and suicide risk. As a principal investigator and cofounder of the federally funded Reconnecting Youth Prevention Research Program, she examines the effects of psychosocial risk and protective factors on adolescent development.

2006 Kathryn Lee, MN '77, PhD '86, RN, FAAN, University of California, San Francisco
Kathryn Lee is the James and Marjorie Livingston Endowed Chair in Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco. Known for her contributions to the fields of women's health and sleep research, she was one of the first researchers to study changes in sleep on a longitudinal basis. A tool she developed to measure fatigue associated with disrupted circadian rhythms has been translated into several languages. Lee is currently director of the Nurse Research Training Program in Symptom Management.

2005 Karen Schepp, PhD, University of Washington
Karen Schepp, an associate professor of in the UW School of Nursing's Department of Psychosocial & Community Health, has made significant contributions to the field of psychiatric nursing as an American Nurses Association-certified child and adolescent psychiatric mental health clinical specialist, reviewer for leading nursing journals and international consultant on issues of psychosocial nursing. She is currently leading a five-year study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health that focuses on youth diagnosed with schizophrenia.

2004 Elaine Larson, PhD, RN, CIC, FAAN, Columbia University
Elaine Larson has a joint appointment in nursing and public health at Columbia University. She built her research career around the study of infection control, and recently completed a study of anti-bacterial soap and housecleaning products that found the products offer little protection against the most common germs.

Humanitarian Award

2007 Meg Hatlen, MN '96, RN, Renton Public Health Center
Meg Hatlen, nurse supervisor and clinical manager at Renton Public Health Center, began her career in public health nursing as a Neonatal Intensive Care nurse at Tacoma General Hospital in 1980. Through her work as a Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training (NCAST) instructor, she certifies registered nurses and public health nurses in Seattle-King County Public Health clinics. Her coworkers remark on her deep understanding of the complexities of public health issues and her positive attitude. Hatlen's dedication to her work positions her as a role model for other public health nurses.

2006 Gretchen Schodde, BSN '68, MN, ARNP, Harmony Hill Retreat Center
Gretchen Schodde is a family nurse practitioner, a former UW assistant professor and one of the first nurse practitioners in the state of Washington. Her commitment to community health and wellness inspired her to found Harmony Hill in 1986. The retreat center provides a nurturing, comforting environment for individuals diagnosed with cancer and their families.

2005 Connie Anderson, RN, MBA, Northwest Kidney Centers
For more than 30 years, Connie Anderson has worked to advance renal nursing practice and patient care and has become an international resource for people interested in using home hemodialysis. In 2004, she received the Northwest Kidney Centers' Clyde Shields Distinguished Service Award for exemplary leadership. She serves on the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's board of trustees and was the first woman elected to the board.

2004 Ekene Amaefule, MN, RN, Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care Systems
Ekene Amaefule works as nurse manager of rehabilitation care services in the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System. She regularly returns to her native Nigeria, where she personally funds the education of poor children. With funds she raises, she supplies families with basic necessities such as water, baby food and groceries, and has broken ground for a free medical clinic and women's center.

Outstanding Volunteer Award

2007 Betty McCurdy BSN '49, School of Nursing Campaign Advisory Board
Betty McCurdy was a founding member of the UW School of Nursing Visiting Committee in 1969, and strongly endorsed the transition of the visiting committee into the current Campaign Advisory Board, of which she is a member. She has been active in many alumni and outreach programs at the UW, serving from 1983-84 as the second female president in the history of the UW Alumni Association. Both Betty and her husband, Jim McCurdy '45, have been generous supporters of the UW through their involvement and membership in the UW Alumni Association. They were honored with the UW Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1989, and have donated more than $1 million to various UW funds. One of their largest gifts has gone to the School of Nursing.

2006 Jean '47 and Bob Reid '43, '48, School of Nursing Campaign Advisory Board
Jean and Bob Reid, honorary co-chairs of the Campaign Advisory Board, chose the UW School of Nursing as the recipient of the largest donation in its history in 2000: a $5 million bequest. In 2006, they gave $3.5 million to establish the Robert G. and Jean A. Reid Endowed Deanship in Nursing. The Reids made these gifts in tribute to the excellent nursing care each of them has experienced personally and to enable future generations of nurses to provide the same level of care to others.

2005 Eli and Rebecca Almo, co-chairs, School of Nursing Campaign Advisory Board
Rebecca and Eli Almo are well known for their deep commitment to education and the health and well-being of older adults. They founded ERA Living (formerly ERA Care) in 1976 to deliver high-quality housing and services to retirees. They work closely with the UW School of Nursing to ensure that their facilities meet the needs of Seattle's aging population, and in 1996, they created the Aljoya Endowed Professorship in Aging to support nursing research in healthy aging.

2004 Sandra Dyer, BSN '59, Community Leader
Sandra Dyer has held a multitude of community service positions, including a 16-year term as a national officer of her sorority and in-service chair for the Seattle/King County Department of Public Health. Her board memberships include the Eastside Alcohol Center, Home Health Care of King County and the Seattle Symphony Volunteer Association. Sandra and her husband, Peter '55, currently serve as honorary co-chairs of the UW School of Nursing Campaign Advisory Board.