SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) and the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC) Advisory Board are proud to acknowledge the 2020 Nurse Educator Fellow recipients, each of whom is awarded $10,000 to help promote excellence in nursing education.

“The projects, research, and plans for additional degrees and certifications that this group of nursing faculty is pursuing is beyond impressive and will allow them to improve their teaching and skills to support the next generation of the nursing workforce,” said Ginger Ostro, executive director of IBHE. “We are proud of each one of this year’s nurse educator fellows and we appreciate Gov. JB Pritzker’s and the Illinois General Assembly’s commitment to this program.”

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Several fellows are pursuing master’s and doctorate degrees or certifications, learning new teaching techniques for student nurses, and preparing to present research findings on the national level.

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The fellows have created multiple projects including the creation of an online elective course in global health, attended conferences on specific nursing specialties such as vulnerable populations and pediatrics, used technology in health records, purchased CPR equipment for classes, and developed a diabetes and cardiovascular-related resource for clinicians.

The fellows were recognized at a virtual ceremony on June 17, 2020 hosted by the Illinois Nursing Workforce Center (INWC) Advisory Board.

The fellows are as follows:

Amy Funk, RN-BC, Illinois Wesleyan University
Amy Green, MSN, RN, Morton College
Annie Imboden, CNP, APRN, CPNP, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Carla Thomas, DNP, FNP-C, APN, RHIA, Malcolm X College
Daniel Meade, DNP, APRN, AGNP-C, DePaul University
Denise Hammer, DNP, RNC-NIC, Mennonite College of Nursing, Illinois State University
Gina Canny, MSN, RN, CNE, TNS, Millikin University
Jennifer Davis, MSN, RN, RNL, Aurora University
Jessica Woloszyk, MSN, RN, CCRN, Elgin Community College
Julie Kennedy, PhD, RN, CMSRN, Millikin University
Katelyn Myroniak, DNP, RN, CMSRN, Lewis University
Kelly McGuire, PhD, RN, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Rita Wallace, MSN, Ed, RN, Lakeview College of Nursing
Sarah Gouwens, DNP, FNP-BC, Trinity Christian College
Tara Morris, MSN, RN, Heartland Community College
Tina Dorau, MSN, RN, CRRN, CNE, CHSE, St. Xavier University
Yasmin Cavenagh, DNP, MPH, RN, Resurrection University
Elizabeth Moxley, PhD, RN, BS, Northern Illinois University
Katherine Hess, RN-BC, Chamberlain University

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