By Ken Iglehart and Rebecca Kirkman

Photography by Mike Morgan

Health & Wellness

Top Nurses 2021: The List

Our seventh-annual awards program salutes a profession that’s the backbone of health care.

EXCELLENCE IN NURSING 2021

TOTAL SPECIALTIES: 19

TOTAL NOMINATIONS: 283

TOTAL WINNERS: 105

Acute Care/Family Practice/General Medicine

TAKIYA FOXX

Nurse Manager University of Maryland Midtown Campus

DEB HOCKETT

Endoscopy Department Mercy Medical Center

KATHERINE MALONEY

Ambulatory Nurse Care Coordinator University of Maryland Medical Center

KELLY MORRIS

Infection Preventionist MedStar Harbor Hospital

JENNIFER O’DONNELL

Permanent Charge Nurse Intermediate Care MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

BIKASH OJHA

University of Maryland Medical Center 11 East Medicine Telemetry

BARBARA RICHMOND

Adult/Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, Center for Successful Aging, MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

ELIZABETH RICHMOND

Center for Successful Aging-Geriatrics MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

JACQUELYN SNYDER

Post-Anesthesia Care MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

MEGAN VAN HOY

Charge Nurse, Gastroenterology MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

MARGARET OWOEYE

Case Management, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

“If I hadn’t chosen nursing, I’d be a defense lawyer or a pilot. Both challenging. Both complex.”

Cardiovascular

KAY AMES

Cardiac Observation Medstar Union Memorial Hospital

LAURA CHOWDHRY

Medical Surgical Cardiac Mercy Medical Center

JOEY (FRANK) CORASANITI

Cardiac Cath Lab University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center

GRAHAM DOUGHERTY

Comprehensive Cardiac Pulmonary Care Unit MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

SHARLENE FAIR

Cardiac Operating Room/ Open Heart Surgery Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

JACQUETTA JENNINGS

Clinical Nurse Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital

SABANAM SHRESTHA

Cardiac Step-Down Unit MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

THOMAS TROBIANO

Director of Clinical Operations Program in Transplantation/ Cardiothoracic Transplant NP University of Maryland Medical Center

TAKIYA FOXX

Nurse Manager, University of Maryland Midtown Campus

“The most gratifying thing about my job is leading and witnessing the career growth of the individuals that I manage.”

Case Management

HELEN HASH

Manager of Case Management University of Maryland Medical Center

MARGARET OWOEYE

Case Management Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

Community care/Ambulatory care

SHARON EILER

Nurse Care Coordinator University of Maryland Medical Center

LISA FREEMAN

Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Northwest Hospital

CHARLENE HARROD-OWUAMNA

Ambulatory Service Family Health and Wellness Grace Medical Center

BERNADETTE KROL

Ambulatory Care MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

KAREN LYONS

Nurse Manager, Ambulatory Services University of Maryland Medical Center

Educator

JADE FLINN

Nurse Educator, Biocontainment Unit The Johns Hopkins Hospital

NICHOLE JANTZI

Assistant Director, Nursing and Clinical Education Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

MARIA MALINSKI

Family Education Department UM St. Joseph’s Medical Center

SARAH STEWARD

ED Clinical Coach LifeBridge Health Sinai Hospital

VANESSA VELEZ

Director of Professional Practice, Education, and Research GBMC HealthCare

Emergency Department

CHAD BOWMAN

Team Coordinator, Special Operations Response Team Lifeline Critical Care Transport Team The Johns Hopkins Hospital

JOHN BROUGHTON

Emergency MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

ANGIE FEURER

Director of Critical Care, Emergency Services and Medicine GBMC HealthCare

HENRY INEGBENOSUN

Clinical Nurse II, Adult Emergency Department The University of Maryland Medical Center

SARA MANIKHI

Emergency MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

SHERI MILLER

Emergency Department Registered Nurse, Information Systems Coordinator Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

ELIZABETH NASH

Nurse Manager, Emergency Department University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center

ASHLEY PENNINGTON

Clinical Unit Coordinator Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital

ELLEN SVEHLA

Emergency MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

Hospice/ Home Health/ Palliative Care

NATALIE COLEMAN

Clinical Manager Gilchrist Kids

MARGIE SCHMIER

Care Coordinator The Lisa Vogel Agency

Intensive Care

BRIAN AVARITT

Clinical Nurse II, Post Anesthesia Care Unit Mercy Medical Center

JENNIFER DELANEY

Clinical Nurse Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital

DEVONNE HURST

Clinical Nurse II, Rapid Response Nurse, Charge Nurse University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center

LOUIE LEE

Senior Clinical Nurse II, Biocontainment Unit & Critical Care Resuscitation Unit University of Maryland Medical Center, Shock Trauma Center

CESAR JESUS VISURRAGA

Nurse Anesthesiologist Baltimore VAMHCS

CESAR JESUS VISURRAGA

Nurse Anesthesiologist, Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore

“The biggest change I would like to see in health care is an environment with more women and minorities as health care providers.”

Management/ Nurse Executives

STEPHEN BENKO

Nurse Manager, Unit 38 (COVID Unit), Medicine/Telemetry GBMC HealthCare

SARA BURCHILL

Nurse Manager, Emergency Department Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

ROBINAH CAMPBELL

Nurse Manager, Oncology The Johns Hopkins Hospital

KATHY GRZESKIEWICZ

Clinical Administrator, Critical Care & ED MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

NAT’E MONIQUE GUYTON

VP, Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer University of Maryland Medical Center, Midtown Campus

CHRISTINA KONTOGEORGOS

Assistant Patient Care Manager Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

CATE O’CONNOR-DEVLIN

Performance Improvement/Innovation and Patient Experience Administration GBMC HealthCare

CHRIS ROBERGE

Manager, Performance Improvement Utilization Quality Management MedStar Harbor Hospital

GINA SHELLEY

Director, Nursing Practice Innovation MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

REBECCA STOVER

Nurse Clinical Systems Project Manager GBMC HealthCare

STACEY TROTMAN

Critical Care/Leadership Mercy Medical Center

Medical-Surgical Nursing

KRISTIN KRAUS

Operating Room Mercy Medical Center

XEAMORA LYNCH

Observation Medstar Union Memorial

HEATHER LYON

Permanent Charge Nurse, Medical Surgical, Stroke MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

ANGELA M. MURRELL

Sandra and Malcolm Berman Comprehensive Breast Care Center GBMC HealthCare

SHARON ROSSI

Director, Perioperative Services and Endoscopy Services GBMC HealthCare

MINETTE SANTOS

Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital

JAMIE SNEDIKER

Stroke Medical Unit Northwest Hospital

CHANELLE TANG

RN II, Medical Surgical/COVID MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center

JILL WHEELER

Director of Infection Prevention, Specialty & Inpatient Surgery Wound/Ostomy/HBO GBMC HealthCare

KRISTY WHEELER

Senior Clinical Nurse II, Service Line Coordinator of Acute Care Emergency Surgery University of Maryland Medical Center

CHAD BOWMAN

Team Coordinator, Special Operations Response Team, Lifeline Critical Care Transport Team, The Johns Hopkins Hospital

“As a transport nurse, we are moving critically ill patients who may need a time-sensitive medical intervention or require tertiary care. The most gratifying part of my job is getting the patient safely to the care they need and knowing that we were instrumental in giving them a chance for the best possible outcome.”

Neurology/ Psychology/ Behavioral Health

HANNAH BLOOM

Certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, The Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

LORA CLAWSON

Founder and Director of ALS Clinic Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

KAREN WASHINGTON

Behavioral Health Northwest Hospital

Oncology

MARIA CUARESMA

Oncology Assistant Manager Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital

STEPHEN DAILY

Outpatient Infusion Oncology Mercy Medical Center

MYLENE R. DE VERA

Senior Clinical Nurse II, Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center

LORI FRAILER

Registered Nurse III, Infusion and Cancer Center Northwest Hospital

MAUREEN KLEIN

Specialty Infusion Oncology Mercy Medical Center

CLIFTON THORNTON

Nurse Practitioner Pediatric Oncology Sinai Hospital of Baltimore

Orthopedics

CHERYL GEARY

OR Clinical Coordinator, Crane OR Mercy Medical Center

SUSAN KOLLER

Registered Nurse IV, Surgical Orthopedics Northwest Hospital

VALERIYA MOROZ

Inpatient Orthopedics Medstar Union Memorial Hospital

SHEREENA SORRELL-WHITAKER

Certified Family Nurse Practitioner University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute

ELIZA ZENCZYKIEWICZ

Orthopedic Operating Room Medstar Union Memorial Hospital

MÉLANGE (MEME) DAVIS SCOTT

Mother Baby Post-Partum, Mercy Medical Center

“My biggest challenge this year was being pregnant during the pandemic while working at the patients’ bedsides and personally experiencing COVID after my own positive diagnosis.” [Davis has since recovered.]

Pediatrics

CARRIE BEALEFELD

Lead Clinical Nurse, Ambulatory Services The Johns Hopkins Hospital

HEATHER DEWAN

Clinical Applications Manager, IT Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital

YAFFA ELEFANT

Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Rehabilitation Unit Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital

AGNES IHEDIOHAMMA

Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital at Capital Region Health

ERICA JONES

Director of Infection Prevention Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital

COLLEEN NEIDIG

Nurse Manager Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital at Capital Region Health

CLIFTON THORNTON

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Division of Pediatric Hematology & Oncology Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai

VALERIYA MOROZ

Inpatient Orthopedics, Medstar Union Memorial Hospital

“The most gratifying thing about my job is seeing patients smile and feel better during their most challenging moments of their life.”

Psychiatric Nurse

TIARA COLLINS

Charge Nurse, Behavioral Health Unit University of Maryland Medical Center, Midtown

AMANDA DAVIS

Assistant Director, Behavioral Health and Crisis Intervention Services MedStar Harbor Hospital

ED MACSHERRY

Community Psychiatry Program Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

MARLENE MEYER

Lead Clinical Nurse, Psychiatry Nursing The Johns Hopkins Hospital

Rehabilitation

ROEUL CIMAFRANCA

Charge Nurse Subacute Northwest Hospital

AMANDA MITTELSTETTER

Rehab MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

MYLENE MYERS

Rehab MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

KIMBERLY QUADRINI-ELLIOTT

Rehab MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital

Research

BETH ONNERS

Immunology Oncology Research Nurse The Johns Hopkins Hospital

NANCY TAIT

Research Nurse Coordinator Oncology University of Maryland

STEPHEN BENKO

Nurse Manager, Unit 38 (COVID Unit), Medicine/Telemetry, GBMC HealthCare

“Our unit took the point position in caring for COVID-19 patients for an extended period of time, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic. So, the biggest thing to shoulder, from a purely nursing and humanistic point of view, was seeing the morbidity, mortality, and suffering caused by the disease.”

Senior Services

GINA RANIERI-BENDER

Clinical Manager Gilchrist Center Towson

JEANNE LEONARD

Regional Director of Health and Wellness Brightview Senior Living

TINA MAGGIO

Clinical Manager Gilchrist Center Towson

CECILIA “CECE” MAMBO

Health Services Director Brightview Mays Chapel Ridge

KATHERINE PACKETT

Clinical Manager Gilchrist Center Baltimore

KERRY AVANT

Clinical Manager Gilchrist Center Howard

Women's Health

CRISTINA AQUIA HAAS

Senior Clinical Nurse II, Labor & Delivery UM St. Joseph Medical Center

MÉLANGE (MEME) DAVIS SCOTT

Mother Baby Post-Partum Mercy Medical Center

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