Awards & Recognition
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Individual Awards
Kathryn Schroeter, PhD, MA-Bioethics, MS, RN, CNE(Ret), CNOR, FAORN
Award for Excellence
Kathryn Schroeter currently works as a Nurse Scientist and Ethicist at Froedtert Hospital - a Level I Trauma Center in Milwaukee, WI, where she has also been a perioperative nurse and educator for 23 years.
Daphny Peneza, DNP, RN, CNOR, CSSM, FAORN
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives of the Year Award
Daphny Peneza is a leader in perioperative nursing recognized for her contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in healthcare.
Deborah Ebert, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CNOR, CPAN, CAPA
Nurse Executive Award
Deborah Marie Ebert is an innovative healthcare executive and mentor with 20+ years of experience in Leadership, Strategic Operations, Surgery, Perianesthesia, and Critical Care.
Mary C. Russell, MN, RN, FNP-BC, CNOR
Outstanding Achievement in Mentorship - Perioperative
Mary C. Russell continues to serve her chapter on the BOD, founded her state's council, and served nationally on many committees and was elected to the NLDC. Mary also serves AORN as chair of the CEAC committee.
Ruth Plotkin Shumaker, MS, BSN, RN, CNOR
Outstanding Achievement in Mentorship - AORN Leadership
Ruth Plotkin Shumaker is an Executive Consultant and partner for Perioperative Consulting. She is a past national President and recipient of the Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing.
Lindsey K. Joyce MSN, RN, CNOR-CARD
Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Education: Academic
Lindsey Joyce is currently a scrub and circulating nurse in the CVOR at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, MO.
Leah Goldberg MSN, RN, CNOR
Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Education: Clinical
Leah Goldberg is a proud UCONN School of Nursing alumni (2011) and recently completed her MSN in Nursing Education at the University of Hartford.
Dave Picardo Calubaquib, DNP, MBA, MA, RN, CNOR, CNAMB, CSSM, CPAN, CV-BC, MEDSURG-BC
Outstanding Achievement in Nursing Clinical Practice
Dave Calubaquib is a nursing leader with extensive experience in multiple clinical areas
Megan Nolan, MSN, RN, CNOR, NEA-BC
Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Nursing Evidence - Based Practice
Megan Nolan, Senior Director of Nursing and Patient Care Operations at Boston Children’s Hospital, is an award-winning nurse leader with over 18 years of experience in perioperative services and operating room management.
Rachel M. Edens, BSN, RN, CNOR, CPAN
Outstanding Achievement in Perioperative Nursing Management
Rachel Edens served in the Nurse Manager role of the Operating Room at Baton Rouge General Hospital. During her tenure she guided a team of 120 and oversaw the daily clinical operations of 15 OR suites.
Barbara Lee Nalley, CNOR, RN
Outstanding Volunteer Leadership
Barbara has been perioperative nurse for over 20 years and is a lifetime member of AORN. She currently practices as the Lead nurse practitioner/RNFA for Urogynecology for University of Maryland health systems.
Zachary Wargolet
Edith Dee Hall Award
Zachary Wargolet, has worked in healthcare since 2015 starting out as a CNA on a med surg unit. He made his way into the OR in 2021 at a small community hospital and knew that OR nursing is where he found his home.
AORN Journal Writers Contest
Article: “Using Continuous Intraoperative Pressure Mapping to Describe Patterns of Tissue Interface Pressure.”
Authors: Sadeeka Al-Majid; Barbara Vuncanon; Melody Kiyohara;
and Cyril Rakovski
Article: “Care of the Patient Undergoing Robotic-Assisted Brain Biopsy With Stereotactic Navigation: An Overview.”
Authors: Beth Karasin; Tara Hardinge; Lauren Eskuchen; and Johanna Watkinson
Article: “Surgical Conscience: A Concept Analysis for Perioperative Nurses.”
Author: Danielle Quintana
Chapter Excellence Awards
AORN of North Central West Virginia
AORN of Fort Wayne
AORN of Baltimore
AORN of Fort Wayne
AORN of Greater Houston
AORN of East Metro from Minnesota
