NEW YORK NURSE: September 2009
Each year at Convention, NYSNA honors members who are recognized as leaders in their field and advocates for their profession. While these individuals each have unique qualities that contribute to their success, they all share the common desire to advance nursing practice and enhance quality of care.
Eileen Dunn is a staff nurse at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan where she has served as NYSNA LBU President since 1992. Dunn has been a Delegate Assembly member since 2007 and currently serves as Treasurer. She also is a member of the National Executive Board of the newly formed National Federation of Nurses. Dunn has advocated on behalf of her fellow nurses for 23 years and promotes active member participation. According to a colleague, “Eileen is a role model to all. She inspires and motivates nurses to get involved in the association on a daily basis.”
Marilyn Dollinger is associate dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. She served on the NYSNA Council on Legislation from 2004 to 2007 and has been a member of the Genesee Valley Nurses Association (GVNA) Legislative Committee for 17 years. As a NYSNA Legislative District Coordinator, Dollinger has advocated vigorously for NYSNA’s legislative issues. A leader in the Coalition for the Advancement of Nursing Education, Dollinger fights for nurses to have a voice at the table when developing healthcare policies. One fellow GVNA member asserts that she “understands the importance of providing nursing students with the skills, knowledge, and direct experience of political activism so they can broaden the influence of the nursing profession within healthcare policy decision-making.”
Barbara Krainovich-Miller is assistant dean and Academic Initiatives Program Coordinator for the Nursing Education Master’s and Advanced Certificate Programs at the New York University College of Nursing. An active NYSNA member for 35 years, Krainovich-Miller served on the first NYSNA Council on Continuing Education review team and as chair of the NYSNA Council on Research. As a member of the NYSNA Membership Committee, she devised a number of strategies to increase membership. One colleague calls her “every professional organization’s dream member: a consistent contributor and role model for nurses on how to be active in their organization at various levels and in various capacities.”
Joanne Lapidus-Graham is an associate professor at Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, N.Y., and she has been a NYSNA member for 27 years. She currently is co-chair of the Programs and Awards Committee for the Nurses Association of the Counties of Long Island (NACLI) and completed her second term as President of NACLI in 2008. Lapidus-Graham has served on the NYSNA Parent/Child Clinical Practice Unit and was chairperson for four years and as a delegate to the ANA House of Delegates. As a seasoned professor and pediatric nurse practitioner, she has been a role model and mentor for students in both classroom and clinical settings, with the goal of “assisting students to become assertive, innovative, and creative thinkers who can function as accountable and responsible professionals.”
Lisa Kosits is one of the clinical faculty at Montefiore Medical Center, where she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Manhattan Bronx Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). A NYSNA member for 24 years, Kosits has taught NYSNA-approved continuing education courses and is a certified ACLS instructor, providing classes to both MDs and RNs. She developed a triage program and policy for Montefiore and often shares her extensive knowledge with other healthcare professionals. According to one colleague, Kosits “exemplifies the word ‘nurse.’ Her contributions and recommendations are a proven and valuable asset to the profession. She encourages the best in others, and constantly strives to improve whatever comes her way.”
Connie Jastremski is the chief nursing officer at the Bassett Healthcare System, Cooperstown, N.Y. As a current member and past president of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives, Jastremski is viewed as an innovative leader who works tirelessly to enhance nursing practice at Bassett. She is a major supporter of higher education and has actively cooperated with educational institutions to facilitate career development opportunities for her staff. According to a colleague, “Connie is most generous with her personal time and is a skilled lobby partner for nursing and NYSNA advocacy efforts, particularly for legislation to advance the education of nurses.”
David Keepnews is an associate professor at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing at Hunter College in Manhattan. As editor-in-chief of the journal, Policy, Politics, and Nursing Practice, Keepnews has helped to portray positive images of nurses and keep nursing issues – from mandatory overtime to safe staffing – in the forefront. An active member of NYSNA, he has has lobbied on behalf of nurse title protection and educational advancement, among other legislative priorities. Keepnews has served as a consultant for the American Nurses Association, the New York Academy of Medicine, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His “clinical and policy expertise has benefited the nursing profession and served to advance the profession on a global level,” said one colleague.
Cathy Peters is a primary clinician in the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program at the University of Rochester Medical Center. While working with the Red Cross following 9/11, she was inspired to create a collage, “Homage to New York,” to honor those who lost their lives. For Peters, the collage was an “opportunity to share my experience as a nurse in the context of this extraordinary event.” Since its creation, the collage has been viewed nationally and internationally and has been included in the “Virtual Union Square” exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, the “Picturing What Matters” exhibit of the George Eastman House in Rochester, N.Y., and featured in two texts related to nursing and disaster preparedness.
Francis Grampa is enrolled as a nursing student at New York University College of Nursing and plans to graduate with his baccalaureate in May of 2010. Grampa serves as vice president of NYU’s Undergraduate Nursing Student Organization (UNSO), where he represents the school and the nursing profession at campus and citywide events. Grampa’s passion for volunteer work, combined with a desire to develop fellow nursing students, makes him “an outstanding leader [who] embodies the spirit of empathy, innovation, and dedication to NYU. Francis leads by example and will make an exceptional nurse,” said one instructor.
Julie Yeh is completing her baccalaureate in nursing at New York University College of Nursing and plans to graduate in May of 2010. Yeh has been a member of NYU’s Undergraduate Nursing Student Organization (UNSO) since January 2009, when she began the university’s 15-month accelerated Bachelor of Science program. She was elected to serve as UNSO President for the 2009/2010 academic year. Yeh has a strong record of community service and volunteers at her local hospital. An instructor comments that “Julie enjoys any opportunity to interact with other students and serve as their mentor. [She is] committed to fostering an increased public awareness of the joys, benefits, and opportunities afforded to nursing professionals.”