Congratulations!
The National Association of Hispanic Nurses is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 NAHN Special Awards! These outstanding individuals were selected for their incredible contributions to the world of nursing. The awardees were honored during the Gala at the NAHN 48th Annual Conference in Portland, Oregon on July 14, 2023.
- Latino Legacy Award: Ester Ruiz, PhD, PMHNP, RN
- Nurse of the Year Award: Ana Maria Linares, DNS, RN, IBCLC, FAAN
- Henrietta Villaescusa Community Service Award: Felipe D. Santoyo- Cuellar, DNP, MSN, RN, PCCN, CVRN-BC
- Janie Menchaca Wilson Leadership Award: Susana González, MHA, MSN, RN, CNML
- Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Award: Jacob Martinez, PhD, RN
- Sarah Gomez Erlach Humanitarian Award: Erika Alfaro Lemus, BSN, RN, PHN
- President's Award: Grace Grau, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, AACC
- The DAISY Award® for NAHN Chapters Advancing Health Equity: NAHN Illinois Chapter
- The DAISY Award® for NAHN Nurses Advancing Health Equity: Jeneva Gularte-Rinaldo PhD, RN
- 40 Under 40: Ashley C. Merida, BSN, RN; Carolina D. Frantz, MSN, RN; Cassandra B. Perez, BSN, RN; Cipriana Southard, RN; Cristina Dominguez De Quezada, PhD, RN, CNE; Crystal Loucel, MPH, MS, RN; Iris Andrade, BSN, RN, OCN; Jacob Martinez, PhD, RN; Jamie Najera, BSN, RN; Jasmine Alana, BSN, RN; Jennifer Sandoval, MSN, RN; Kimberlee Perez, RN, BSN, CCRN; Mavely Penzo, BSN; Monica Najera, BSN, RN; Orlando Flores, BSN, RN; Zafar Anwar, MS, CRNA
Congratulations to our award recipients!
2023 NAHN Special Awards
The National Association of Hispanic Nurses established a series of awards to honor and provide special recognition to NAHN nurses. These special awards (described further below) honor NAHN members and chapters for demonstrated excellence in nursing education, community service, and dedication to serving the Hispanic community. Special awards are an opportunity for NAHN members and chapters to be recognized and celebrated for their extraordinary achievements within the nursing discipline.
Nomination period begins: March 31, 2023
Nomination period closes: May 1, 2023
Award recipients will be notified by June 10, 2023.
Award for NAHN Chapters- New This Year!
The DAISY Award® for NAHN Chapters Advancing Health Equity
Presented in collaboration with The Daisy Foundation, The DAISY Award® for NAHN Chapters Advancing Health Equity recognizes a NAHN chapter for their collective team efforts and activities that advance health equity and mitigate health disparities caused by social determinants of health.
Qualifications for the award include:
- Chapter contributed to improving health equity in their community.
- Chapter mitigates health disparities by addressing one or more social determinants of health through their team efforts.
- Chapter goes above and beyond to provide compassionate, quality healthcare to patients and families from underserved populations.
- Chapter hosted a program, event, or initiative in the past 18 months to advance health equity and/or address social determinants of health in their community.
Nomination requirements:
- Nominations must be submitted using the provided web portal. Submitted nomination information becomes the property of NAHN.
- Only completed nomination forms submitted by the deadline will be accepted.
- Chapters may be nominated by their own chapter leaders/members, by non-chapter members, or by community members and organizations who have worked with the chapter.
- In future years, preference will be given to chapters that have not received this award previously.
- Chapter Nominations must include the following required materials:
- Letters of reference. Two letters are required. Letters must be 300 words or less and clearly illustrate the chapter’s qualifications. One letter may be written by the a member of the chapter, and one letter must be from an individual who is not part of the chapter.
- Chapter resume. The chapter resume should outline the key event(s), initiative(s), or program(s) launched by the chapter within the last 18 months to promote health equity and address social determinants of health in their community. Information about services provided, audiences served, and measurable outcomes encouraged.
NAHN Individual Member Awards
Nomination Requirements:
- Nominations must be submitted using the provided web portal. Submitted nomination information becomes the property of NAHN.
- Only completed nomination forms submitted by the deadline will be accepted.
- If you nominate the same individual for more than one award, please submit separate nomination forms for each award.
- Nominees may be self-nominated or recommended by colleagues, clients, administrators, or co-workers.
- Most awards require nominees to be NAHN members for at least 2 consecutive years. The exception is the Latino Legacy Award, which requires a minimum of 15 years of membership.
- Qualified nominees may be the recipient of a particular award only once. Any individual who has received previous recognition by NAHN for that award is not eligible for the same award but may be nominated for other NAHN awards.
- Current NAHN National Board Members are not eligible for NAHN Member Awards.
- Nominations must include the following required materials:
- Letters of reference. For most awards, two letters are required. For the 40 Under 40 awards, only one letter is required. Letters must be 300 words or less and clearly illustrate the nominee’s qualifications and accomplishments. One letter may be written by the individual submitting the nomination, unless it is a self nomination.
- Current resume or CV for the nominee.
Individual NAHN Award Descriptions
The DAISY Award® for NAHN Nurses Advancing Health Equity - New This Year!
Presented in collaboration with The Daisy Foundation, The DAISY Award® for NAHN Nurses Advancing Health Equity recognizes individual nurse members of NAHN whose work advances health equity, mitigating health disparities that are caused by social determinants of health.
Qualifications for the award include:
- Contributes to improving health equity in their community.
- Mitigates health disparities by addressing one or more social determinants of health.
- Providing compassionate, quality healthcare to patients and families from underserved populations.
NAHN Latino Legacy Award
Through the Latino Legacy Awards, NAHN recognizes a small group of members who have contributed to the nursing profession with their commitment to advancing the health in Hispanic communities and to lead, promote and advocate the educational, professional, and leadership opportunities for Hispanic nurses. Although these Latino Legacies have typically stepped down from the positions through which they made their legendary contributions, their work through NAHN continues to have a positive, ongoing impact on the profession and our communities.
Criteria:
- A Latino Legacy must have been a member of NAHN for at least 15 years and currently be a member in good standing.
- S/he must be sponsored by two (2) Regular or Emeritus members in good standing.
- A sponsor may only nominate one applicant as a Latino Legacy per year.
- The nominee must consent to be nominated.
- Nominations should address the following:
- Describe the extraordinary and sustained contribution of the nominee as a role model and contributor to NAHN.
- Describe the positive and ongoing impact of the work in the nursing profession and/or community they served.
NAHN Nurse of the Year
The NAHN Nurse of the Year Award recognizes a member of NAHN who has developed a creative and innovative program, intervention, or strategy in one of the following areas:
- Improving the quality of health care in the Hispanic community (narrowing health care disparity).
- Recruitment, retention, professional career development (increasing the number of Hispanic nurses at all educational and professional levels).
- NAHN organizational development at local, state, and/or the national level (growth, effectiveness, and communication within NAHN organizations, and with the community it serves).
Evaluative criteria are as follows: Contribution to improving the health care of the Hispanic community across the life span, birth to end-of-life, in any health care environment; Innovation; Creativity; Leadership; and Advocacy.
Ildaura Murillo-Rohde Award for Education Excellence
This award honors NAHN members who have distinguished themselves in any scholarship area and/or nursing education.
Qualifications for the award include any or all of the following categories:
- Outstanding contributions in nursing education, research, and practice
- Recognized commitment to excellence in nursing
- Distinguished clinical expertise
Henrietta Villaescusa Community Service Award
This award honors NAHN members who have contributed to the improvement of health in the Hispanic community.
Qualifications for the award include any or all of the following categories:
- Outstanding contributions as demonstrated by policy or program involvement of Regional or national significance
- Distinguished community health practice
- Publicly recognized commitment to improving the health of the Hispanic Community
Janie Menchaca Wilson Leadership Award
This award honors NAHN members who have distinguished themselves as nursing leaders. Qualifications for the award include any or all of the following categories:
- Outstanding leadership contributions at the local community, state or national level
- Leadership reflected in the areas of planning, practice, or implementation of a program that has positively impacted the Hispanic community
Sarah Gomez Erlach Humanitarian Award
This award honors NAHN members who seek to improve health delivery to the rural poor and migrant farmworkers and their families.
Qualifications for the award include any or all of the following categories:
- Initiating or implementing health program(s) for the financially disadvantaged and/or migrant farmworkers and their families.
- Publicly recognized statewide or national rural health program(s).
- Advocacy and commitment to public health services to the financially disadvantaged and/or migrant farmworkers and their families.
NAHN Forty Under 40 Awards
NAHN's 40 Under 40 program recognizes younger members of our organization who are helping to fulfill NAHN's mission, engaging the community on behalf of NAHN, and providing critical volunteer assistance at the chapter and national level.
Note: This award only requires one letter of recommendation (rather than two).
PREVIOUS AWARD RECIPIENTS
2022 Award Recipients
2021 Award Recipients
2020 Award Recipients and 2020 Virtual Awards & Scholarships Gala Video
2019 Award Recipients