UTHealth Houston and UT Physicians proudly share that the Good Samaritan Foundation of Texas has selected several university nurses for the 20th annual Excellence in Nursing Awards.
“The Good Samaritan Foundation has steadfastly supported nurses and nursing education for more than 70 years,” said Diane M. Santa Maria, DrPH, MSN, ACRN, PHNA-BC, FAAN, the Jane and Robert Cizik Distinguished Chair and Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair in Nursing Education Leadership and the dean of Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston. “The organization has provided scholarships to hundreds of nursing students and recognized the exceptional work of thousands of practicing nurses.”
The award honors nurses who stand out as leaders in their field, provide excellent patient care, consistently work to improve health outcomes, and pay outstanding attention to clinical operations.
“This prestigious recognition honors nurses for their exceptional contributions in multiple settings, whether with employees, students, or patients,” said Kimberly Alleman, MBA-HM, BSN, RN-BC, chief nursing officer of UT Physicians. “This is about how they deliver care, and I think that’s truly inspiring.”
The nurses include silver award winner Linda Cole, DNP, RN, APRN, CCNS, CNE, FCNS, an associate professor with Cizik School of Nursing, and 19 bronze-level honorees.
“Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the biggest and best medical center in the world, so to have this many people recognized in a competitive field is very prestigious,” said Amanda Ordonez, PhD, RN, senior nurse manager with UT Physicians Internal Medicine – Texas Medical Center. “We are proud of all our honorees. This award highlights their high standards for medical care, patient-centered priority, and focus on the university’s mission. These honorees are role models.”
The 2024 university recipients of the Good Samaritan Foundation’s Excellence in Nursing Awards are:
| UT Physicians | |
| Michele Borel, LVN UT Physicians Internal Medicine – Texas Medical Center | Shannon Mezak, LVN UT Physicians Internal Medicine – Texas Medical Center |
| Amanda Gregg Stevenson, BSN, RN UT Physicians clinical operations | Billie Moy, LVN UT Physicians Center for Autoimmunity |
| Deanna LeBlanc, BSN, RN UT Physicians Cardiology – Texas Medical Center | |
| Cizik School of Nursing | |
| Linda Cole, DNP, RN, APRN, CCNS, CNE, FCNS | Kelly Kearney, DNP, PMHNP-BC, APRN |
| UTHealth Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center (HCPC) | |
| Raichel Abraham, RN | Bibia Joy, MSN, BSN, RN |
| Elsanett Alexander, BSN, RN | Kathryn Manning, RN |
| Jena Blake, RN | Teri Moore, RN |
| Binumon Chelackal, BSN, RN | Daniel Obodo, BSN |
| Claudia Chua, BSN, RN | Chinwe Okwulehie, BSN, RN |
| Geraldine Fortune, BSN, RN | Michael Rojas, BSN, RN |
| Jeslin Johny, BSN, RN | |
