Darby receives Medicaid award
Mark Darby, instructor in the UNMC College of Nursing-Omaha Division, was among the recipients of the 2022 Nebraska Medicaid Provider Awards.
Gov. Pete Ricketts, Dannette R. Smith, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, and Kevin Bagley, director of the division of Medicaid and long-term care, honored the four recipients Oct. 13.
Gov. Ricketts said the award winners “have distinguished themselves by providing outstanding service to Nebraskans.”
The award recognized Darby for his professional service to the citizens of North Omaha and his dedication to the education and teaching of UNMC nursing students. Darby is a family and mental health nurse practitioner and director at the North Omaha Area Health Clinic since 2017, which is a nurse-run clinic that he co-founded. The clinic provides free care to three of the lowest income areas in Douglas County.
Amy Pinkelman chosen as October Silver U Recipient
Amy Pinkelman, a nursing instructor in the UNMC College of Nursing, Northern Division in Norfolk, Nebraska, received the Silver U recipient in October. Pinkelman is in her fourth year of teaching at UNMC. She is an instructor in Patient Centered Care I and II didactic courses and teaches in Patient Centered Care I and II clinical courses.
Her nominator said: “Amy is always looking for new ideas and using the technology that we have available for the betterment of the students as well as improving the way we teach. Her communication skills are spot on even if the subject is a difficult one. Amy is not afraid of broaching touch subjects with other faculty especially if she feels it would be in the best interest of the student or staff. Amy works hard to achieve the highest levels of quality in the lessons she teaches as well as safety in the clinical arena.”
Beth Beam, PhD, RN, won the prestigious 2022 Great Plains IDeA-CTR Superstar Competition. The goal of this award is to raise awareness of clinical and translational research conducted by promising scholars who are developing innovative tools and methods for medical research. The winning investigator/team received a $20,000 pilot grant award to catalyze cutting-edge research that may translate to a sustainable product or a larger federal grant. In this case, Dr. Beam is working on improving current respiratory protection.
Robin Lally received The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses on Dec. 12 during the College of Nursing’s general faculty meeting. The award, created by the DAISY Foundation in 1999, honors nurses who go above and beyond and make extraordinary differences in patients and families experiences in health care.
Judith Sims Billings, PhD, RN, emeritus professor and former assistant dean at the CON Kearney Division, received the 2022 Fort Hays State University Alumni Award on Oct. 7. Dr. Billings moved to Kearney, Nebraska, after graduating from Fort Hays State in 1965 and worked as a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. She began educating future nurses in 1968 at St. Francis School of Nursing in Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1976, she served as an instructor and department chair at then-Kearney State College, where she developed and managed the first bachelor’s degree program west of Lincoln, Nebraska. She retired from UNMC in 2005.
Mark Darby, instructor in the UNMC College of Nursing-Omaha Division, was among the recipients of the 2022 Nebraska Medicaid Provider Awards, which recognizes individuals for outstanding service to Nebraskans. The award, presented Oct. 13, recognized Darby for his professional service to the citizens of North Omaha and his dedication to the education and teaching of UNMC nursing students. Darby is a family and mental health nurse practitioner and director at the North Omaha Area Health Clinic since 2017, which is a nurse-run clinic that he co-founded. The clinic provides free care to three of the lowest income areas in Douglas County.
UNMC Alumni Reunion Awards – Oct. 14, 2022
- Distinguished Alumnus Award – Roxanne R. Stahl, APRN, MSN, NNP-BC, (ADN ’84, BSN ’86)
- Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award – Patricia D. Lopez, RN, MSN ’90
- Dorothy Patach Spirit of Service Award – Lindsay Huse, MPH, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC (BSN ’01)
- Honorary Alumnus Award – Juliann G. Sebastian, PhD, RN, FAAN
- Nursing Excellence Award – Katie Speer, MSN, RN, PCCN (BSN ’14)
UNMC Circle of Distinction – Oct. 26, 2022
- Michele Balas, PhD, RN, CCRN-K, FCCM, FAAN – Dorothy Hodges Olson Chair in Nursing generously given by Leland J. Olson, MD and Mrs. Dorothy M. Olson
- Joyce Black, PhD, RN, CWCN, FAAN – Florence Niedfelt Professor in Nursing generously given by Florence Niedfelt
- Kathryn Fiandt, PhD, APRN-NP, FAANP, FAAN – Kenneth E. Morehead Endowed Chair in Nursing generously given by Kenneth E. Moreheat
- Robin Lally, PhD, MS, BA, RN, AOCN, FAAN – Bertha L. Pankratz Professor in Nursing generously given by Bertha L. Pankratz
- Anna Schwartz, PhD, FNP-BC, FAAN – Charlotte Peck Lienemann and Alumni Distinguished Chair in Nursing generously given by the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation Inc, Mrs. Helen D. Biegert, the Lienemann Charitable Foundation Inc and alumni of the college
- Lani Zimmerman, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN – Charlotte Peck Lienemann and Alumni Distinguished Chair in Nursing generously given by the Ethel S. Abbott Charitable Foundation Inc, Mrs. Helen D. Biegert, the Lienemann Charitable Foundation Inc and alumni of the college
Previous Honorees:
- Bunny Pozehl, PhD, APRN-NP, FHSFA, FAHA, FAAN – Dorothy Hodges Olson Chair in Nursing generously given by Leland J. Olson, MD and Mrs. Dorothy M. Olson