ASU nurse leaders honored as 2014 'Health Care Heroes'
Three nurse educators from the College of Nursing & Health Innovation were selected as winners of the 2014 Health Care Heroes Awards. The awards, presented by the Phoenix Business Journal, recognized and celebrated the “unsung heroes of the Valley’s health care community.”
Nursing dean Teri Pipe and Adriana Perez, an associate professor, both won “hero awards” in the Health Care Education category, honoring people who have made a significant contribution to fostering interest in the health care field in others.
Pipe’s expertise in nursing leadership with a focus on interprofessionalism is heavily embedded in the college’s curriculum so future nurses will be prepared to engage more effectively on health care teams and be creative in the ways they approach current and emerging health care challenges. Pipe is always willing to lend an ear (and often a shoulder) to nursing students, and engages regularly with them in circumstances beyond the classroom, including helping with freshman move-in and hosting “Dinner with the Dean” events.
Whether it is helping students collaborate across disciplines or hosting “mentorship breakfasts” for young women who aspire to be nurses, Perez is dedicated to educating tomorrow’s nursing leaders. Perez combines her passion for teaching along with research and community service to help students learn what it means to engage in transdisciplinary teams in order to improve health care. Perez is also president of the Phoenix Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and volunteers for the American Heart Association.
Charlotte Thrall, a faculty associate in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, was one of the winners of the Health Care Volunteer category, which recognized people who contribute their time and expertise to patients or health care issues, and whose volunteer efforts have made a significant impact on the community. Thrall is the founder and president of Community Health Outreach, Inc., a non-profit organization providing health care to the underserved population in Phoenix. Thrall also helped establish CityServe Arizona's HopeFest. HopeFest, an annual event, brings agencies and organizations together to provide essential health care services to the uninsured population in Phoenix.
Read more about the "Health Care Heroes" from ASU and other organizations from around the Valley in the Phoenix Business Journal.