500-plus attend Power of Nursing Leadership
photo slideshow Heading link
story copy Heading link
More than 550 people attended the 26th annual Power of Nursing Leadership event, hosted by the UIC College of Nursing, on Nov. 3 at the historic Hilton Chicago on Michigan Avenue.
The event was headlined by bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen, whose keynote address, “Being Human: The Challenge for Health Care,” focused on the importance of making a human connection when caring for patients.
“Thank you to nurses everywhere,” Quindlen said. “I cannot say it enough. The way in which you do what you do, reminds me every day, of everything I feel is the best of how we take care of our bodies in this society.”
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, also spoke about his gratitude for nurses.
Alumna Beena Peters, DNP ’17, MS ’94, FACHE, FABC, Cook County Health system chief nursing executive, received the Joan L. Shaver Outstanding Illinois Nurse Leader Award. The event’s premier honor is awarded to an individual who is highly influential in shaping quality health care in Illinois.
Two new honors were awarded at the 2023 event, and two UIC Nursing alumni were among the winners.
- The Early Career Leader Award—recognizing nurses with less than 10 years of professional nursing experience who show significant potential as future nurse leaders—was awarded to Megan Byrne, BSN, CRRN, clinical shift coordinator at Northwestern Medicine Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital; and to Katarzyna Golda, MS ’22, BSN ’16, RN, MEDSURG-BC, administrative nurse at UI Health.
- The Advancing Health Equity Award—recognizing nurses whose work has helped to reduce health disparities—was awarded to Regina Conway-Phillips, PhD, RN, department chair and associate professor at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing; and to Wrenetha Julion, PhD, MS ’95, MPH, RN, CNL, FAAN, associate dean for equity and inclusion, and the Michelle & Larry Goodman Endowed Professor of Health Equity at RUSH University.
In addition, two SAGE Award winners were honored: Fred Brown, DNP, RN, CENO, assistant professor at Rush University College of Nursing; and Karen Saban, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for research and scholarly innovation at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Saban was unable to attend the event, so Loyola Nursing Dean Lorna Finnegan accepted on her behalf.
This year, assistant professor Sarah Abboud, PhD, RN, was selected by UIC Nursing leaders to receive our college’s Pinnacle Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership within the organization. At every Power of Nursing Leadership event, organizations that purchase tables are invited to select one of their guests to receive a Pinnacle Award.