Nurses Honored During 2019 Nursing Excellence Awards

Philadelphia resident Sean Deiter, BSN, RN, was named Nurse of the Year yesterday evening at the 2019 Nursing Excellence Awards hosted by Cooper University Health Care and The Cooper Foundation. [See all photos.] Deiter is a registered nurse in Cooper's Intensive Care Unit. In addition to Nurse of the Year, he was also presented with the William and Eileen Archer Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing. "Sean is the ideal nurse, dedicated to helping his colleagues provide the best possible care and embracing new challenges along the way," said Kathy Devine, DrNP, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Cooper University Health Care. "To Sean, the job description for a nurse is to simply 'go help people' and he embodies that every day." The 2019 Nursing Excellence Awards, held during National Nurses Week, honored 22 Cooper nurses, collaborative care providers and teams for their outstanding contributions to excellence in patient care. Award winners were nominated by their colleagues for their commitment to upholding the Cooper mission "to serve, to heal, to educate." "The Nursing Excellence Awards are supported by generous donors to The Cooper Foundation to assist our winners with education and training," said Susan Bass Levin, President and CEO, The Cooper Foundation. "We are grateful to our donors for recognizing the important role of nurses in delivering highly-skilled, compassionate care 24 hours a day, seven days a week." More than 250 guests attended the awards dinner, which was held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill. At the event, Cooper also recognized Eleanor Gaines for more than 75 years of service to Cooper. Gaines, of Haddonfield, attended Cooper Nursing School from 1941-1944 and has remained active with the Cooper Nursing Alumni Association and The Cooper Foundation Women's Board. "More than 1.6 million patients trust Cooper for their health care each year and our nurses are the backbone of that care," said Anthony J. Mazzarelli, MD, JD, MBE, Co-President, Cooper University Health Care. "We are grateful for the dedication of our nurses who provide a balance of expert knowledge, skill and compassion that our patients and their families have come to expect from Cooper." The Nursing Excellence Awards recognize exceptional professional nurses and advanced practice nurses, in the ambulatory care and inpatient setting at any Cooper University Health Care location, as well as members of the collaborative care teams that support nursing. "Cooper nurses are not just healers and caretakers, they are teachers and mentors," said Kevin M. O'Dowd, JD, Co-President, Cooper University Health Care. "Our nurses are constantly learning and training each other, a hallmark of the profession, and something of which we are very proud." A complete list of the 2019 Nursing Excellence Awards winners follows.

• Alexa Barile, BSN, RN, of Deptford, NJ - Registered Nurse, Emergency Department, recipient of The Lynn Nelson Award for Excellence in Emergency Nursing
• Irma Beasley, BSN, RN, of Pennsauken, NJ - Registered Nurse, Short Procedure Unit, recipient of The Women's Board of Cooper University Health Care Award for Excellence in Ambulatory Nursing
• Kelli Bradley, BSN, RN, RNC-NIC, of Wilmington, DE - Registered Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, recipient of The John Henry Kronenberger Memorial Award for Excellence in Neonatal Nursing
• Heather Brown, BSN, MSN, of National Park, NJ - Associate Clinical Director, Pavilion 5, recipient of The Philip and Carole Norcross Award for Nurse Leadership
• Michael Colona, RN, of Deptford, NJ - Registered Nurse, Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit, recipient of The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Nursing Mentorship.
• Keren Dalsey, BSN, RN, of Medford, NJ - Registered Nurse, Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit, recipient of The Award for Excellence in Trauma Nursing
• Sean Deiter, BSN, RN, of Philadelphia, PA - Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, recipient of The William and Eileen Archer Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing and 2019 Nurse of the Year
• Ana Denton, BSN, RN, OCN, of Blenheim, NJ - Nurse Navigator I, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, recipient of The Rose Smith & Sue Zamitis Memorial Award for Excellence in Oncology Nursing
• Meredith Duffy, BSN, RN, CPN, of Westmont, NJ - Registered Nurse, Pediatrics, recipient of The Dr. Ronald Bernardin Memorial Award for Excellence in Pediatric Nursing
• Morgan Ford, RN, ASN, of Haddon Township, NJ - Registered Nurse, Kelemen 10, recipient of The Ruth Parry/Moorestown Auxiliary Award for Excellence in Geriatric Nursing
• Jennifer Halliday, BSN, RN, of Mount Laurel, NJ - Registered Nurse, Post Anesthesia Care Unit, recipient of The Carol G. Tracey Compassion Award
• Susan Lieberum, BSN, RN, RFNC, IBCLC, of Pitman, NJ - Registered Nurse, Mother Infant Unit, recipient of The Charlotte Tobiason Memorial Award for Excellence in Obstetrical Nursing
• Carolyn Liu, BSN, RN, of Mount Holly, NJ - Registered Nurse, Pavilion 9, recipient of The Cooper Heart Institute & The Heart House Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing
• Byron Lu, MD, of Philadelphia, PA - Hospitalist, Hospital Medicine, recipient of The Nursing Alumni Excellence Award for Nursing-Physician Partnership
• Trisha McFarlane, DNP, CRNA, of Merion Station, PA - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Anesthesia, is the recipient of The Moorestown Auxiliary Award for Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing.
• Linda Nguyen, BSN, RN-BC, of Pennsauken, NJ - Registered Nurse, Pavilion 6, recipient of The Selma and Martin Hirsch Award for Excellence in Medical Surgical Nursing.
• Tara Pettit, DNP, CRNA, of Pilesgrove, NJ - Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Anesthesia, recipient of The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Nursing Research
• Deborah Snyder, of Blackwood, NJ - Infusion Schedule Coordinator, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, recipient of The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Service (Non-Nursing)
• Lorraine Sweeney, RN, of Marlton, NJ - Community Outreach Coordinator, Community Health, recipient of The Shaina Horton Memorial Award for Excellence in Service
• Melena Tyler, BSN, RN, of Westhampton, NJ - Registered Nurse, Post Anesthesia Care Unit, recipient of The Philip and Carole Norcross Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing
• Allison Wills Nevitt, MSW, of Cherry Hill, NJ - Transitional Navigator, Transitional Care - Pediatrics, recipient of The Women's Board of Cooper Hospital Allied Health Professional Excellence Award (Non-Nursing)
• Voorhees Surgery Center Team, recipient of The Outstanding Team Award

About Cooper University Health Care: Cooper University Health Care is one of the largest health systems in Southern New Jersey with over 100 outpatient offices and its flagship, Cooper University Hospital located in Camden, NJ. It is the premier university hospital serving South Jersey and the Delaware Valley. Cooper University Hospital is the clinical teaching campus for Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, the only four-year allopathic medical school in South Jersey. Cooper is renowned for signature programs in cardiology, cancer, critical care, pediatrics, trauma, orthopaedics and neurosciences. Cooper is also home to the only state designated Children's Hospital in South Jersey-The Children's Regional Hospital at Cooper. Over the last decade, Cooper has transformed its Camden City neighborhood into the Cooper Health Sciences Campus. In October 2013, the new MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, a freestanding cancer center for comprehensive care, opened on the Health Sciences Campus. Cooper also continues its regional expansion with the opening of new and expanded facilities throughout Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties. ### Wendy Marano 856-382-6463 marano-wendy@cooperhealth.edu Katie Hardesty 609-238-3146 hardesty-catherine@cooperhealth.edu