NLN Celebrates 2024 NLN Award Winners

NLN Celebrates 2024 NLN Award Winners

Named Awards Honor Historic Figures in Nursing Education

Washington, DC — The NLN Awards, named for three leading luminaries of nursing education, will be presented during the 2024 NLN Education Summit in San Antonio, Texas, September 18-20. The annual NLN Awards honor individuals of stature and distinction within nursing education and the wider field of American health care. Honorees are deemed by the NLN Awards Committee to have significantly contributed to the National League for Nursing mission of promoting excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce that advances the health of the nation and the global community. 

NLN Chair Patricia Sharpnack, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, Dean and Strawbridge Professor at the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions at Ursuline College in Ohio, said, “On behalf of the NLN Board of Governors, I congratulate our NLN Award winners for this well-deserved honor, recognizing their extraordinary achievements and decades of leadership in the pursuit of excellence in nursing education and public health.” 

“The National League for Nursing proudly recognizes these fine leaders who have proven their personal and professional determination to transform nursing education to advance the essential goals of making outstanding health care accessible and equitable to patients and families living in America and around the world,” said NLN President and CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN.

The NLN Mary Adelaide Nutting Award

Outstanding Teaching, Leadership, and Commitment to Nursing Education

Angela McNelis, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF, FAAN

Assistant Dean, PhD in Nursing Science

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

Throughout her 23-year academic career, Dr. McNelis has been at the forefront of efforts to transform nursing education to prepare new nurses, from entry to advanced levels, for practice. She has led or been part of research teams awarded 31 grants totaling more than $6 million, has a significant record of publications, including 75 peer reviewed journal articles, and has given more than 100 presentations at local, national and international conferences, as well as live and recorded webinars.

She has served as a member, advisor, or chair of 17 PhD dissertation and two DNP project committees for students focusing on educational research. Through her research, publications, presentations, and consultations, she is a leading voice in nursing education and research, generating knowledge on best practices in teaching and learning, advancing the quality of education for nurses at all levels and their preparedness to deliver safe, high-quality care, and educate the next generation of nurses.

The NLN Isabel Hampton Robb Award

Outstanding Leadership in Clinical Practice, Evidence-Based Practice, and Interprofessional Collaboration

Sharon Y. Irving, PhD, RN, CRNP, FCCM, FAAN, FASPEN

Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Chair in Nutrition and Professor of Pediatric Nursing

Department of Family and Community Health

Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute

Academic Practice Partner Liaison

Penn Nursing – University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Sharon Y. Irving is professor of pediatric nursing on the Clinician Educator track in the Department of Family and Community Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She is nationally and internationally recognized for work in nutrition therapy in critically ill pediatric patients. Dr. Irving is passionate about educating and working collaboratively across disciplines to heighten awareness of the importance of nutrition on patient outcomes. She is clinically active as a provider and works as a clinical nurse scientist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.

Through her commitment to patient care and focus on nutrition during pediatric critical illness, Dr. Irving holds fellowship status in the Society of Critical Care Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and senior fellow in the Leonard Davis Institute. She is the 2023 faculty recipient of the Women of Color at Penn Award. 

The NLN Lillian Wald Humanitarian Award

Marie T. O'Toole, EdD, RN, FAAN, ANEF

Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs

Rutgers University-Camden School of Nursing

Dr. Marie O’Toole has a distinguished record of accomplishments throughout her career. She has been involved in international outreach, curriculum development, and volunteer service on both a global and local level. Dr. O’Toole was the founding chair of Nursing Overseas, a division of Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), providing opportunities for nurse educators to work with colleagues in developing nations. She has proactively pursued sustainable initiatives to advance nursing education, involving students and colleagues in projects to improve the human condition in counties worldwide and for underserved populations in the U.S.

Dr. O’Toole is the editor of the Mosby Series of Dictionaries and is committed to using the language of health care inclusively and equitably. In the tradition of Ms. Wald, she is a “practical realist” serving others with pride and a sense of joy in the contributions that nursing makes to health and well-being.

For more information about the NLN Awards and the NLN Education Summit, visit NLN.org.

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