Current Award Recipients

Kathryn Fiandt, PhD, APRN-NP, FAANP, FAAN

Dr. Kathryn Fiandt has dedicated more than four decades to advancing primary care nursing, faculty practice, and health equity through a distinguished career as a clinician, educator, and leader. A longtime member of the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing, she most recently served as the inaugural Associate Dean for Transformational Practice and Partnerships and now holds the title of Clinical Professor Emeritus.

Dr. Fiandt earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maryland as a member of the 1971 class of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing, Later she obtained her Master of Science in Nursing and postgraduate training in primary health care at Indiana University. In 1993 she completed her PhD in nursing synthesis at Indiana University, grounding her career in both clinical expertise and scholarly inquiry.

Her academic career has spanned multiple institutions and leadership roles, including appointments at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch. At UNMC, she provided strategic leadership as part of the dean’s executive team, advancing faculty practice, community partnerships, and global initiatives. She has also directed major centers for nursing practice, coordinated nurse practitioner education programs, and led efforts to secure funding for practice innovation and workforce development.

Clinically, Dr. Fiandt has practiced as a family nurse practitioner since 1976, delivering care in nurse-managed clinics, community health centers, and safety-net settings across both rural and urban communities. Her clinical work has consistently focused on improving access to care for underserved and vulnerable populations, including individuals with complex chronic conditions and significant social needs.

Dr. Fiandt’s scholarship centers on the impact of advanced practice nursing in primary care settings, particularly in addressing health disparities. Over the past two decades, she developed and evaluated the Intensive Primary Care Nursing model, an innovative, nurse-led approach designed to improve outcomes for patients with complex, poorly controlled chronic conditions influenced by social determinants of health. Her work has been supported by numerous federal and foundation grants and has contributed to the development of statewide primary care training models and nurse practitioner residency programs serving high-need communities.

A prolific scholar and leader, Dr. Fiandt has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and practice guidelines, while also contributing to national initiatives focused on quality improvement, faculty practice, and nurse-managed health centers. Her expertise has been recognized through election as a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Equally impactful is Dr. Fiandt’s commitment to mentorship and service. She has guided countless students, faculty, and emerging scholars, fostering sustainable faculty practice models and advancing clinical scholarship across the profession. Beyond academia, she currently remains deeply engaged in community partnerships, social justice initiatives, and organizations dedicated to advancing health equity.

Dr. Kathryn Fiandt’s career reflects a sustained commitment to innovation, leadership, and service, leaving a lasting impact on primary care nursing, community health, and the advancement of equitable, patient-centered care.

Sarah Neveills, PhD, MS, BSN, RN

BSN 2006

Sarah Neveills began her nursing journey immediately after high school. Sarah worked as a nursing assistant while obtaining her LPN in 1997, then worked as an LPN until she completed her Associate Degree in Nursing in 1998. From 1998 to 2001, Sarah practiced as a registered nurse in the private sector, before joining the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2001, where she continues to work today. Sarah completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2006 from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, her master’s degree from Regis University in 2012, and her PhD from Uniformed Services University in 2024. Sarah has worked in a wide variety of settings including the ICU, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Oncology, Case Management, Research, Education, and Informatics to name a few. 

Sarah currently works at VA Central Office, for the National Oncology Program. Additionally, since 2011, Sarah has served as affiliate faculty at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. In this role, she has taught and developed courses in medical terminology, anatomy & physiology, and informatics.  

Sarah’s research was published in Military Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on military and veteran healthcare, in January 2026. Her study, “Major Adverse Coronary Events Status Post Percutaneous Intervention in Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange Versus Non-Exposed to Agent Orange,” investigated key cardiovascular outcomes in veterans. 

Sarah resides in Aurora, Colorado, with her supportive husband, Sean, and their child, Braxton. They have two dogs, Petunia and Pablo. The family enjoys baseball, traveling, hiking, snowboarding, and playing golf. 

Melissa Holton, MSN, APRN-NP, PMHNP-BC

BSN 2014, MSN 2020

Melissa Holton obtained her Bachelor of Art in Psychology from University of Nebraska Omaha in 2012 and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2014.  Melissa has served the mental and behavioral health community for over 15 years in various settings such as behavioral pediatrics, solid organ transplant, and child/adolescent residential psychiatric treatment.  Melissa pursued a Master of Science in Nursing from UNMC to advance her practice as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.  She graduated in May 2020 as a Charlotte Burgess Award recipient for outstanding academic performance during her academic career. 
 
Melissa began her career as an APRN-NP/PMHNP-BC with CHI Health Psychiatric Associates in Omaha, NE working exclusively in child and adolescent psychiatry.  In February 2022, she transitioned to private practice at Arbor Psychiatric and Wellness Center in Nebraska City after developing a love for the community while completing clinical work during her graduate education.  She continues to care for primarily children and adolescents, but has expanded her service to include young adults.   
 
Melissa remains an active member of American Psychiatric Nurses Association and American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  In addition to providing services through her clinic, she works in collaboration with Partners for Otoe County to create educational resources for the community on various mental health topics.  In March 2024, she began partnering with CEDARS Youth Services Inc. (Lincoln, NE) through a telebehavioral health in rural area grant awarded from the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN).  Melissa provides psychiatric care for youth currently in the CEDARS emergency shelter and upon discharge to assist with gaps in care during transitions of placement.  
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In her free time away from practice, Melissa enjoys camping, spending as much time outdoors with her family, and enjoying her new role as Mom to a beautiful baby girl (born November 2025)! 

Bunny Pozehl, PhD, APRN-NP, FHFSA, FAHA, FAAN

ADN 1976, BSN 1978, MSN 1983

Dr. Bunny Pozehl has devoted more than four decades to advancing nursing science, education, and clinical practice, with a national and international reputation in cardiovascular and heart failure research. She joined the UNMC College of Nursing early in her career and has remained a cornerstone of the institution, shaping generations of clinicians, scholars, and nurse leaders. 

Dr. Pozehl earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from UNMC before completing her PhD in educational psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She later completed post‑master’s training as an adult nurse practitioner, grounding her scholarly work in a deep understanding of clinical care. Her academic career at UNMC has progressed from instructor to professor, alongside leadership roles including long‑standing directorship of acute care nurse practitioner programs and service appointments across cardiology, physiology, and internal medicine. 

Clinically, Dr. Pozehl practiced for more than two decades as an adult nurse practitioner in advanced heart failure clinics, caring for patients across Nebraska’s rural and urban communities. This experience profoundly shaped her research agenda, which focuses on heart failure self‑management, exercise adherence, symptom burden, frailty, and quality of life. She is best known as the principal investigator of the HEART Camp trials, a body of federally funded research that established evidence‑based, behavioral exercise interventions for patients with heart failure, including those with preserved ejection fraction. These studies have informed clinical guidelines and transformed expectations for physical function and long‑term outcomes in this population. 

Dr. Pozehl’s scholarship includes hundreds of peer‑reviewed publications, presentations, and invited lectures. She has served on National Institutes of Health review panels, contributed to American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association clinical performance and quality measures, and provided sustained editorial service for leading cardiovascular and nursing journals. Her work is widely cited and continues to influence clinical care, policy development, and research methodologies in cardiovascular nursing. 

Equally significant is Dr. Pozehl’s impact as a mentor and educator. She has chaired or served on dozens of doctoral dissertations, postdoctoral fellowships, and clinical project teams, earning a national reputation for cultivating rigorous, compassionate nurse scientists. Her mentorship has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Kathleen A. Dracup Distinguished Lecture and Exemplary Career in Mentoring Award from the American Heart Association and multiple university‑level mentoring and teaching distinctions. 

Dr. Pozehl is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the American Heart Association, and the Heart Failure Society of America. She has received honors such as the Heart Failure Society of America Nursing Research Leadership Award, the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award, and appointment as the Dorothy Hodges Olson Endowed Chair in Nursing. 

Through her scholarship, leadership, and unwavering commitment to patient‑centered care, Dr. Bunny Pozehl has shaped the field of cardiovascular nursing while leaving an enduring legacy of excellence, mentorship, and innovation.