School of Medicine, SLCH and BJH nurses honored with 2013 Excellence in Nursing awards

Shown are Washington University School of Medicine nurses who were winners or finalists in the 2013 Excellence in Nursing awards from St. Louis Magazine. In the top row from the left are: Jamie Menendez, Vicky Peck, Linda Black, Stacy Pokorny, Barb Miller, and Reida McDowell. Seated, from the left, are: Cassandra Ward, Bernadette Hinrichs, Robyn Myers and Mandy Drozda.

Several Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital (BJH) and St. Louis Children’s Hospital (SLCH) nurses received the 2013 Excellence in Nursing Award from St. Louis Magazine. The award honors nurses who have made a difference in the lives of their patients and colleagues.

The fourth annual awards were announced April 25. The winners included:

• Mary Megehan, a cardiac-intensive care staff nurse at SLCH, award recipient in the intensive care category;

• Karen Balakas, a nurse researcher at SLCH, recipient in the research category;

• Linda Black, a staff nurse in the School of Medicine Department of Surgery’s urologic surgery division, recipient in the acute care/general medicine category;

• Benita Austin, a nurse practitioner in palliative-care service at BJH, recipient in hospice/home health/palliative care;

• Meranda Scherer, a resource nurse in transplant and hepatobiliary surgery at BJH, recipient in the medical-surgical nursing category;

• Diana Kraus, a nurse who helps coordinate trauma care at SLCH, recipient in the management/nurse executive/nurse leader category;

• Cassandra Ward, a nurse in the Memory Diagnostic Center in the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, recipient in the neurology/psychology/behavioral health category;

• Barbara Logue, a staff nurse in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit at BJH, recipient in the cardiovascular category.

Several School of Medicine, BJH and SLCH nurses were finalists in the program. They are:

• Julie Spencer, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College;

• Margaret Emmert Capriglione, BJH;

• Rinnah MacVittie, BJH;

• Lisa Murphy, BJH;

• Stacy Pokorny, School of Medicine, SLCH;

• Bernadette Henrichs, School of Medicine, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College;

• Barbara Miller, School of Medicine, SLCH;

• Colleen Becker, BJH;

• Marianne Fournie, Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital;

• Victoria Peck, School of Medicine;

• Robyn Myers, School of Medicine;

• Reida McDowell, School of Medicine, Siteman Cancer Center;

• Jamie Menendez, School of Medicine;

• Donna Kaempfe, SLCH;

• Mandy Drozda, School of Medicine, SLCH;

• Tammy Heffner, SLCH;

• Margaret Ann Shaner, SLCH;

• Julie Stumpf, SLCH.