Nine UIC Nursing alumni among “40 Under 40” honorees
body copy Heading link
The UIC College of Nursing congratulates nine alumni, including three faculty members, who have been named to the Illinois Nurses Foundation’s 2017 list of “40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders.” The award ceremony took place on Sept. 14 at Rush University in Chicago.
The program, now in its third year, was inaugurated by the INF “to celebrate dedicated service to the population, encourage exemplar dedication to the nursing profession, and promise to grow in leadership for the advancement of nursing in Illinois.”
Complete list of UIC Nursing-affiliated honorees in 2017:
- Lydia A. Bertschi, DNP ’12
- Jaime T. Biagioni, BSN ’02
- Alina M. Kraynak, MS ’15, current DNP student
- Angela M. Lepkowski, BSN ’09, MS ’15, current DNP student, clinical instructor
- Angela B. Maeder, PhD ’15, clinical assistant professor
- Meggan A. Mikal, MS ’10, current DNP student
- Kevin J. Stein, BSN ’04
- Jen’nea A. Sumo, PhD ’13
- Kelly A. Vaez, MS ’06, DNP ’16, clinical assistant professor
UIC Nursing also had a strong showing in the first two years of the “40 Under 40” program, such that UIC Nursing alumni (or future alumni, in one student’s case) account for 23 percent of all nurses recognized since the program was launched in 2015.
2016 Honorees:
- Emily Chin, PhD ’12, BSN ’02
- Ann Eckhart, PhD ’13
- Saria Lofton, MS ’05
- Robin Johnson, MS ’13, current DNP student
- Gabrielle Sauder, MS ’13, BSN ’07
- Naomi Twigg, PhD ’12, MS ’08
- Reenu Varghese, DNP ’16
- Carmen Vergara, BSN ’04
2015 Honorees:
- Juana Ballesteros, BSN ’99
- Jennifer Bond, BSN ’02
- Elizabeth Florez, PhD ’13
- Dan Fraczkowski, current PhD student
- Amanda Hopkins, PhD ’10, MS ’05, BSN ’99
- Michelle Heyland, MS ’13
- Amber S. Kujath, PhD ’11, MS ’08
- Sam Logan, MS ’15, BSN ’12
- Erin Raether, BSN ’08
- Monique Reed, PhD ’11
- Charles Yingling, DNP ’12, MS ’05