NYC Health + Hospitals Recognizes 30 Nurse Professionals in Annual Nursing Excellence Awards
Nurse professionals were selected from across the City's public health system, to highlight the tireless work they do for patients
Feb 23, 2021
As part of its annual Nursing Excellence Awards celebration, NYC Health + Hospitals today recognized 30 nurse professionals from across the public health care system. Nominations were submitted from across the health system and the honorees were selected by a panel of nurse leaders within the health system. Those selected for the recognition proved incredible perseverance and rose to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, facing an unprecedented virus and helping to support nursing teams across the system’s hospitals, community clinics, and skilled-nursing facilities. Remarks delivered remotely by each of the honorees can be viewed here.
Meet the 2020 Nursing Excellence Award Winners.
“NYC Health + Hospitals appreciates and celebrates our nurses every day, recognizing that they are vital to our mission of delivering high-quality health services with compassion, dignity, and respect to all,” said Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, Chief Nurse Executive for NYC Health + Hospitals. “Our annual Nursing Excellence Awards, set against the backdrop of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, honors the tireless work of our exceptional nurses, who have showed courage and strength under pressure, rising to the occasion because of their unceasing dedication to our patients and our communities. We commend the incredible commitment of all our nurses system-wide, both during this unprecedented pandemic, and in their day-in, day-out efforts helping all New Yorkers live their healthiest lives. The Nursing Excellence Awards recognizes nurses who have been spotlighted by their colleagues and facility leadership for going “above and beyond,” and we salute their efforts.”
The Nursing Excellence Awards saw the addition of four new categories to help recognize the diversity of the system’s nurses and their skills more comprehensively. These categories included the Structural Empowerment Award, Excellence in Volunteerism and Service, Excellence in Nursing Leadership, Excellence in Home, Community, and Ambulatory Care, and Excellence in Education and Mentorship. The number of nurses recognized each year by NYC Health + Hospitals’ Nursing Excellence Awards have increased to showcase all the areas of the City’s public hospital system that are supported by the tireless work of our nurses, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Nursing Excellence Award honorees included:
BRONX
Lily Ashun, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Belvis
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Eunice Kwarteng, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Bertila Sanchez, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Mary Shalvey, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Jenecia Valle, RN, BSN, CCRN
Supervisor of Nurses
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
Excellence in Education and Mentorship
Mark Winston Yao, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
BROOKLYN
Marie Carline Charles, RN
Head Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Roxanna M. Garcia, RN, CCRN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Shantie Jagnarine, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Megan Alyssa Leyesa, MSN, BSN, RN-BC
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Chika Onyia, MSN, RN
Accountable Care Manager
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, East New York
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
John Riley, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/ Woodhull
Excellence in Home, Community and Ambulatory Care
MANHATTAN
Oluwabunmi Akinseye, MSN, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Malika Broomes, RN, BSN
Nursing Supervisor
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Rosalie Bumatay, RN, BSN
Associate Director of Nursing
NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Irene Burdett, RN, BSN
Head Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Bryan Daulo, RN, BSN
Assistant Director of Nursing
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Carole Leconte, RN, BSN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Lissette Maestre, RN, BSN
Assistant Director of Nursing
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Sydenham
Excellence in Home, Community, and Ambulatory Award
QUEENS
Nursing and Service Department
NYC Health + Hospitals/ Queens
Structural Empowerment Award
Lowelia Avellana, RN, BSN
Assistant Head Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Dariana Infanzon, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Bindu Rai, RN, MPA
Supervisor of Nurses
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
Excellence in Volunteerism and Service
Cynthia Speed, RN, BSN
Head Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Parsons
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
STATEN ISLAND
Maria Acosta, RN, BSN
Assistant Director of Nursing
NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Martha Herrera, RN
Staff Nurse
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Vanderbilt
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
CORRECTIONAL HEALTH SERVICES
Eun Lee Kim, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner
NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
COMMUNITY CARE
Emily Bryant, MPH, RN, BSN
Director of Nursing
NYC Health + Hospitals/Community Care
Excellence in Nursing Leadership
Yelena Shevchenko, RN, BSN, MSA, COS-C
Director of HCPPA
NYC Health + Hospitals/Community Care
Excellence in Clinical Nursing
Catherine Alicia Georges, Ed.D, RN, FAAN was awarded the 2020 Josephine Bolus Nursing Champion award, previously known as the Nursing Champion award. The Josephine Bolus Nursing Champion Award is an annual honor that is bestowed upon a person or organization to recognize demonstrated support for nurses and the nursing profession. This recipient does not have to be a nurse, or even be associated with NYC Health + Hospitals, but must display an understanding of the challenges facing nursing, among other things.
Dr. Catherine Alicia Georges, is a respected educator, practitioner and community activist, well-known for her passionate dedication to nursing education as demonstrated by her ongoing leadership as Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Nursing at Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY,) a post she has held since 1990. Dr. Georges’ professional career spans more than three decades, and she has become a forceful advocate on behalf of aging Americans and their unique wellness issues, and she’s committed to eliminating disparities and improving the health of minorities and the disadvantaged.
The annual Nursing Champion award this year was renamed in honor of former NYC Health + Hospitals Board of Director, the late Josephine Bolus, RN, MS, CNP, APRN-BC. As the first recipient of the Nursing Champion Award in 2013, Mrs. Bolus was recognized for her tireless support of NYC Health + Hospitals nursing, including her efforts to address challenges facing the profession. As the first nurse chosen to serve on the NYC Health + Hospitals Board of Directors, Mrs. Bolus was instrumental in advocating for patients and nurses; challenging nurses to be active both professionally and politically; and insisting upon using quality resources to deliver exceptional patient care.
Over 300 nurses from across the health system were nominated by their colleagues in honor of their valued achievements and commitment to providing the best possible care and experience for our patients. The nurses honored are among the more than 9,000 nurses at NYC Health + Hospitals –women and men who provide care around the clock each day for New York City through our hospitals, post-acute care centers, community health centers and neighborhood clinics, home care, and the correctional health system, throughout the five boroughs.
To learn more about the Nursing Excellence Awards or any of this year’s recipients, visit /nursing-excellence-awards-2020/.