Mideast Chapter Awards
AWARDS
The Mideast Chapter acknowledges its members in many ways including scholarships and awards. The following is a list of available awards including a brief explanation of each. For full details and to apply, please click below.
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN HUMANITARIAN WOC NURSE AWARD
A humanitarian is someone who actively engages in promoting human welfare and/or social reform. A humanitarian’s goal is to save lives, relieve suffering and maintain human dignity.
A Humanitarian WOC Nurse Award is given to recognize a WOC nurse who has dedicated his/her time and talent to helping people in need to improve the quality of their lives to meet their basic needs, provide nursing assistance, and/or education. This award will honor two (2) MEC members a year.
Award Amount: $1,000 (up to 2 awards, $1,000 ea.)
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN EXCELLENCE IN WRITING AWARD
The Excellence in Writing Award is designed to stimulate scholarly writing by the members of the Mideast Chapter of WOCN and is awarded to the author(s) of a manuscript that makes a significant contribution to the sphere of WOC Nursing. The award(s) will be made at the Fall Conference for the chapter. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received a monetary award from the MEC in the last 3 years.
Award Amount: $250
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
This achievement award recognizes a WOC nurse who has worked at least 20 years and has demonstrated support of their professional colleagues while providing excellent patient care.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN MANUFACTURER’S REPRESENTATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD
This representative has a territory within the MEC. The individual promotes their company’s product(s) in a positive manner while demonstrating respect of the WOC nurse and their position within the facility.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN POSTER AWARD
The Mideast Chapter Poster Award will honor two MEC members who present posters at WOCNext®. The award encourages and supports individual work exclusive of industry funding, assistance or support. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received a monetary award from the MEC in the last 3 years.
Award Amount: $250 (2 awards, $250 ea.)
Application Deadline: April 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN NURSE RESEARCHER AWARD
The Mideast Chapter of WOCN® Nurse Researcher Award will honor an individual or group who completed a nursing research study that focused on wound, ostomy, continence or foot care nursing. and disseminated the results through presentation or publication. Preference will be given to applicants who have not received a monetary award from the MEC in the last 3 years.
Award Amount: $500
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN WOC NURSE OF THE YEAR AWARD
A MEC WOC nurse shares knowledge by providing professional and community education via one-on-one education, seminars and symposiums. This individual actively promotes the growth and development of WOC Nursing by providing peer support, precepting and recruitment.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN PATIENT EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
A MEC WOC nurse who develops and provides patient education would be a potential candidate for this award.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD
An eligible candidate for this award is an active MEC member who enhances professional education by development and presenting formal educational programs to other facilities in the community in an effort to advance the knowledge base of other caregivers.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
MIDEAST CHAPTER OF WOCN SHINING STAR OF THE YEAR AWARD
WOC nurse who graduated within the last 24 months are recognized with this award for their early contributions to the specialty.
Award: Certificate
Application Deadline: August 15
PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS
Meet the Mideast Chapter Award Recipients.
PAST AWARD RECIPIENTS
2024 Awards:
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Lifetime Achievement Award
Carole Bauer MSN, RN, ANP-BC, OCN, CWOCN
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Manufacturer’s Representative of the Year
Matt Speas OCA (Hollister)
Dan Olejarski MBA (Coloplast)
Mideast Chapter of WOCN® Nurse Researcher Award
Diane Adams, BSN RN CWCN
Suzanne Koerner BSN RN CWOCN
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Excellence in Writing Award
Deana Vargo, BSN, RN, CWS, FACCWS CWOCN
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Professional Educator of the Year
Lu Ann Reed, DNP, CRRN, BC-GERO, LNHA, WCC, DWC, CNE
Mideast Chapter of WOCN® WOC Nurse of the Year Award
Sarah Yount RN, BSN, CWOCN
Mideast Chapter of WOCN® Advanced Practice Scholarship Award
Tashia Watkins BSN, RN, CWOCN, CFCN
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Jeff Bish Scholarship Award
Lydia Council, RN, BSN, CWON
Mideast Chapter of the WOCN® Patient Educator of the Year Award
Linda Coulter BS, BSN, MS, RN, CWOCN
Mideast Chapter WOCN® Poster Awards
Phyllis Smith DNP, APRN-CNS, ACCNS-AG, CCRN, CWON-AP
Chizu Sakai-Imoto, BSN, RN, CWOCN,
Sarah Yount, BSN, RN, CWOCN
Therese Cobb, BSN, RN, CWOCN
2023 Awards:
Poster Award 2023: Shannon Riley Young, BSN, RN, CWON (For A Poster Presentation On Hospital Acquired Pressure Injury & Medical Device Related Pressure Injury: Decreasing Rates to Reduce Hospital Costs and Improve Patient Outcomes)
Shining Star Award – Laura Wallace
WOC Nurse of the Year – Eileen Blodgett
Advanced Practice Scholarship Recipients:
Eileen Blodgett
Tashia Watkins
2022 Awards:
Manufacturer’s Representative Of The Year: Kerri Gualtieri of Safe N Simple
Jeff Bish Scholarship 2022: Aundrea Summer Bertram
Lifetime Achievement Award 2022: Judy Mosier
MER Advanced Practice Scholarship 2022: Tashia Watkins
Professional Educator Award 2022: Dr. Barbara Pieper
Nurse Researcher Award 2022: Terri Beeson
Poster Award 2022: Ivy Razmus (For A Poster Presentation On Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Pressure Injury Prevention Practice: A Descriptive Study)
Poster Award 2022: Ivy Razmus (For A Poster Presentation On Pressure Points In Children: What’s The Difference? A Comparison Between Adults And Children On Different Support Surface Types)
2021 Awards:
Professional Educator Of The Year: Chizu Sakai Imoto
Patient Educator Of The Year: Linda Coulter
Manufacturer’s Representative: Gina Bazany
Poster Award: Maureen Rosette (“Successful Treatment Of Resistant Perineal HSV Infection with Aluminum Acetate”)
2020 Awards:
Life Time Achievement: Barbara Hocevar
WOC Nurse of the Year: Catherine Clarey Sanford
Rising Star: Deidre Arch
Manufacturer Representatives of the Year: Geralyn Lloyd Harrod (Coloplast), Frank Moroni (Hollister)
Patient Educator of the Year: Teresa Argento
Nurse Educator of the Year: Kate Zimnicki
Poster Award: Kate Zimnicki (“When pouching fails: Fat grafting as a strategy to improve Parastomal contours and appliance adherence.”) and Jodi Steinbrenner (“Accelerated Closer of Recalcitrant Wounds with Novel Bio-film Disrupting Gel: A Case Series”)
Jeff Bish Scholarship:
Deidre Arch
Michelle Woodall
2019 Awards:
Life Time Achievement: Lisa Kirk
WOC Nurse of the Year: Coleen Potts
Rising Star: Cortney Waters
Humanitarian: Beth Fangman
Patient Educator of the Year: Michele Kessie
Nurse Educator of the Year: Dr. Joyce Pittman
Jeff Bish Scholarship: Cortney Waters
2018 Awards:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Mary A. Gerlach
WOC Nurse of the Year: Marilyn Barr
Patient Educator of the Year: Becky Smith
Manufacturer Representative of the Year: Michael Cahoon
Professional Educator of the Year: Judith Landis-Erdman
Humanitarian of the Year: Meghan Smith
2018 Poster Awards:
Katherine Zimnicki – “Quality Project: Baccalaureate Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Knowledge, Skill
Experiences and Confidence in Ostomy Care”
Carmen Davis – “Reducing Pressure Injury: An Effective Approach to Manual Prone Positioning in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)”
2017 Awards:
Manufacturer’s Representative of the Year: Caitlan Mikula, Hollister
Professional Educator of the Year: Lisa Leighton RN, CWCN, NE-BC, CMSRN, CCRN
Shining Star of the Year: Tracy Swift CPN, CWON
2017 Poster Awards:
Lisa Berning
Maureen Rosette
2016 Fall Awards:
WOC Nurse of the Year: Kathy Herman, MS, RN, ANP-BC, CWOCN
Lifetime Achievement: Joan Van Heck, BSN, RN, CWOCN
Manufacturer of the Year: Joe Shand
Shining Star of the Year: Fabiola Jimenez BSN, RN, CWOCN
2016 Poster Awards:
Honey Lynn Lerais
Jane Theriault
2015 Fall Awards:
Manufacturer of the Year Award: Ryan Kenny from Molnlycke
Excellence in Writing award: “Colostomy Irrigation and Quality of Life” by Mary Arnold-Long, Carole Bauer, & Dea Kent
WOC Nurse of the Year: Marilyn Whitehead
2015 Poster Awards:
Maureen Rosette
R. Hinshaw
2014 Awards:
Jeff Bish WOC Nursing Scholarship Award: Timothy Luttrell
Manufacturer’s Representative of the Year: Ryan Kenny with Molnlycke
Nurse Researcher of the Year: Dr. Joyce Pittman
Shining Star of the Year: Monica Davis
Advanced Practice Scholarship Award: Rachel Hinshaw and Deborah Kleissler
MER WOC Nurse of Year: Kate Zimnicki
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