The World Health Organization designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife in May 2019. The idea behind the designation was the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing, but nobody realized the designation would ring true for millions this year. Nurses in 2020 provided care and comfort for people dealing with acute, chronic, and terminal ailments, and also spent time caring for those with COVID-19, while simultaneously figuring out how to treat these patients.

On December 1, 2020, the March of Dimes hosted their annual Nurse of the Year Banquet online to thank these exceptional professionals, and Omaha Magazine was a proud sponsored of the event.

Nurses are nominated by peers, nurse managers, supervisors, or the families they have impacted. Each application is blinded, carefully reviewed, and scored by a committee of Nurse leaders from the health care community in Nebraska and Iowa.

-Intro by Daisy Hutzell-Rodman

Bunny Pozehl, Ph.D., has contributed to the educational mission of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing since 1981. During her tenure at UNMC, Dr. Pozehl has evolved from an assistant instructor to the current director of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program and Dorothy Hodges Olsen endowed chair and tenured professor.
Dr. Pozehl thoughtfully seeks opportunities to enhance the professional and personal development of others. She has successfully mentored and continues to mentor students, cardiology fellows, post-doctoral trainees, and countless junior faculty/clinicians. Trainees and early career faculty eagerly select Dr. Pozehl as a mentor because of her approachability as a leader, mentor, and scientist.
Students consistently name Dr. Pozehl as their favorite instructor. They describe how her approach to lecturing and advising has shaped their careers. In recognition of her commitment to students, Dr. Pozehl was recently awarded the Donna Westmoreland Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award from the UNMC College of Nursing after a group of her former students and mentees nominated her for this honor.

Academic Educator
Theresa Delahoyde
Bryan College of Health Sciences

Finalist (Not pictured)
Ashley Kennedy 
Bryan College of Health Sciences

Advanced Practice
Nichole Regan
Nebraska Medicine

Finalists (Not pictured)
Barb Nickel
CHI Health St. Francis

Kathleen Scott
Nebraska Medicine

Ambulatory/Clinic Care
Alicia Abboud
Nebraska Medicine

Finalists (Not pictured)
Katy Knight
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Sara Morris
Bryan Health

Behavioral Health
Susan Walsh
Nebraska Medicine

Finalists (Not pictured)
Katheryn J. Kathe
Bryan Health

Taylor Wilson
CHI Health Immanuel

Case Management/Care Coordination
Laura Capece
Nebraska Medicine

Finalists (Not pictured)
Vicki Adolf
Nebraska Medicine

Teresa Applegate
Nebraska Medicine

Clinical Educator
Chelsey Kennedy
CHI Health St. Francis

Finalists (Not pictured)
Katie Circo
Nebraska Medicine

Nicole Nazaruk
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Critical Care
Kaelee Stone
CHI Health St Francis

Finalists (Not pictured)
Sarah Jarecke
Nebraska Medicine

Jordan Roberts
CHI Health St Elizabeth

Emergency/Transport
Katherine Morse
CHI Health Mercy Council Bluffs

Finalists (Not pictured)
Marcy Thernes
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Jennifer Vestle
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Family Nominated
Brent Hannah
Methodist Hospital

Finalists (Not pictured)
Tiffany Mohs
Methodist Gretna Physicians Clinic

Paige Paskevic
CHI Health Lakeside

Intermediate Care/Telemetry
Ashley Liess
Nebraska Medicine

Finalists (Not pictured)
Janelle Krings
CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Meagin Skutnik
Nebraska Medicine

Long-Term Care/Post-Acute
Wendy Rix
Dunklau Gardens

Finalist (Not pictured)
Michelle Diaz
CHI Health Immanuel

Medical/Surgical
Sheri Cunningham
Methodist Hospital

Finalists (Not pictured)
Kayla Jacobsen
CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Tori McElligott
Methodist Hospital

Nurse Leader
Anissa Guzman
CHI Health McAuley Fogelstrom Center

Finalists (Not pictured)
Brandi Johansen
Nebraska Medicine

Theresa Woodrum
Nebraska Medicine

Oncology
Jennifer Mettler
CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Finalists (Not pictured)
Karen Pribnow
Chi Health St Elizabeth

Morgan Tooley
Nebraska Medicine

Pediatrics/Neonatology
Lissa Clements
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Finalists (Not pictured)
Britney Davis
CHI Health St. Francis

Jenny Dupes
CHI Health St. Elizabeth

Public/Community/Home Health & Hospice/Palliative Care
Amanda J. Kirkpatrick
Creighton University

Finalists (Not pictured)
Hilary Applequist
Methodist Hospital

Grace Benson
Children's Home Health Care

Quality and Risk Management/Informatics
Lori Snyder-Sloan
CHI Health Service Center

Finalists (Not pictured)
Angela J. Herbert
Bryan Health

Carly Hornig
CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Rising Star
Morgan Brueggemann
CHI Health Lakeside Hospital

Finalists (Not pictured)
Madison Braun
Nebraska Medicine

Rachel Waite
Children's Hospital & Medical Center

Rural Health/Critical Access
Christine Gabel
Annie Jeffrey Memorial County Health Center

Finalists (Not pictured)
Brittny Hermann
CHI Health St. Mary's

Jennifer Mensing
CHI Health Mercy Corning

Student Nurse
Elizabeth Kangas
UNMC College of Nursing

Finalists (Not pictured)
Gracie Kliegl
Clarkson College

Courtney Weaver
Nebraska Methodist College

Women's Health
Rachel Thompson
CHI Health CUMC Bergan Mercy

Finalists (Not pictured)
Tasha Bang
Methodist Women's Hospital

Wendy Miller
CHI Health CUMC Bergan Mercy

Surgical Services/Procedural Care
Janel Myers
CHI Health CUMC Bergan Mercy

Finalists (Not pictured)
Kathleen Kauffman
Methodist Women's Hospital

Andrea Swanson
Nebraska Medicine

Nurse of the Year Committee

Event Chair
Kathy Bressler, RN MN
SVP Chief Operating Officer
CHI Health 

Nicole Caswell
Nurse Manager
Immanuel Medical Center 

Teresa Hultquist
Associate Professor, Interim Director of Evaluation
UNMC-College of Nursing

Pam Jacobsen 
Assistant Professor/NICU nurse
Methodist College

Alexa Lewis
Director of Women's Health
Bryan

Cindy Mirfield
Service Leader, NICU
Methodist Women's Hospital

Melissa Schmaderer
Director of Nursing
Madonna

Kris Stapp
Vice President of Health Services
VNA

Lisa Strasheim
Division Director - Women's
CHI Health 

Karen Tesina
Director of Women's and Children's Division
Nebraska Medicine

Anne Thallas
Nurse Manager
Methodist 

Judy Thomas
Director of Professional Nursing Practice
Children's Hospital and Medical Center

Judy Timmons
Director, Nursing Education
Children's Hospital and Medical Center

Melanie Tuamoheloa
Nurse Manager
Nebraska Medicine - Bellevue

Susie Ward
Dean of Nursing
Methodist College

Lauren Westerdale
NICU Manager
Bergan Mercy

Chrissy Wilber
Director of Pediatric Clinics
Boys Town National Research Hospital

This list was printed in the January/February 2021 edition of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.