American Psychiatric Nurses Association Announces 2020 APNA Annual Awards Recipients

FALLS CHURCH, Va., July 20, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) has announced the selection of nine groundbreaking nurses in the field of psychiatric-mental health and one APNA chapter to honor at the virtual APNA 34th Annual Conference September 30-October 4, 2020. These award recipients include nurses working to provide crucial mental health care to address concerns such as suicide, dementia, and the health our military.

This year's recipients were nominated by their colleagues and chosen for this honor by a committee of their peers. Each embodies the conference theme, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses: Proud Partners in the Journey to Whole Health.

"The APNA Annual Awards are a chance to recognize the brilliance within our profession and show our gratitude to these nurses who inspire us," says Tari (Sattaria) Dilks, RN, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FAANP. "It is important to celebrate the accomplishments of these exceptional nurses and to recognize the crucial role of all psychiatric-mental health nurses in providing quality mental health care, especially in underserved areas and for vulnerable populations."

Linda Beeber PhD, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, is the recipient of the APNA Psychiatric Nurse of the Year award for her exceptional accomplishments, including pioneering interventions in individuals with maternal depression. She recognized early on the significance of improving the mental health of mothers, and by providing a path that clinicians and mothers can follow, her work has led to healthier outcomes.

Barbara Limandri PhD, PMHCNS-BC, Professor Emeritus, Linfield College, Portland, OR, will receive the APNA Award for Distinguished Service for career-spanning efforts as a scholar, teacher, clinician, mentor and role model. A leader volunteering on the national and chapter level, her achievements include the development of an innovative competency-based suicide prevention training program and facilitator course that fills a gap in the training of psychiatric-mental health nurses and builds their confidence in caring for at-risk individuals.

Rosalind de Lisser APRN, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, Assistant Clinical Professor University of California San Francisco, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Education for her outstanding gifts of mentorship and design of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs in California.

Michelle Giddings DNP, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, private practice, Las Vegas, NV, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Practice - APRN, in recognition of her role in improving training for nursing students which can be applied to care in various settings.

Suzie Marriott MS, BSN, RN-BC, Associate Director of Nursing, Stony Brook University Hospital, Port Jefferson Station, NY, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership - RN for managing safe environments though implementation of the "Safe Wards" model and suicide prevention programs in the UK and the US.

Heather McCormick BSN, RN-BC, PHN, Clinical Nurse Leader, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Redwood, CA, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Practice - RN for leading efforts to support veterans in a psychiatric intensive care setting by considering needs such as personal dignity and autonomy.

Olimpia Paun PhD, PMHCNS-BC, Associate Professor, Rush University, Chicago, IL, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Research for her work examining an intervention program for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia.

LTC JoEllen Schimmels DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, will receive the APNA Award for Excellence in Leadership - APRN, for behavioral health nursing leadership at the Department of Defense through practice standardization, policymaking, and increasing the workforce.

Georgia L Stevens, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, Director of P.A.L. Associates (Partners in Aging & Long-term Caregiving) in Washington, DC, will receive the APNA Award for Innovation - Individual, for creating a model for discharge planning for deinstitutionalized older adults and continued care coordination across long term settings.

APNA Arizona Chapter will receive the APNA Award for Innovation - Chapter for introducing an online book club which created a space to connect with members across the state and around the country.

About the APNA Annual Conference:
The virtual APNA 34th Annual Conference will be held September 30 - October 4, 2020. In addition to honoring this year's awards recipients, the APNA Annual Conference will deliver 90+ varied sessions and networking opportunities to more than 1600 psychiatric-mental health RNs and APRNs who attend each year.

About APNA:
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is a national professional membership organization committed to the practice of psychiatric-mental health nursing and wellness promotion, prevention of mental health problems and the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disorders. APNA's membership is inclusive of all psychiatric-mental health registered nurses including associate degree, baccalaureate, advanced practice (comprised of clinical nurse specialists and psychiatric nurse practitioners), and nurse scientists and academicians (PhD). APNA serves as a resource for psychiatric-mental health nurses to engage in networking, education, and the dissemination of evidence.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited with distinction as a provider of continuing nursing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

SOURCE American Psychiatric Nurses Association