{"id":135609,"date":"2026-10-02T01:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T06:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=135609"},"modified":"2026-10-01T13:53:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T18:53:48","slug":"jenna-hesse-edd-named-nnas-nurse-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/10\/02\/jenna-hesse-edd-named-nnas-nurse-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Hesse, EdD, named NNA&#8217;s Nurse of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"panel body-content\"><div class=\"panel__container\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UNMC\u2019s Jenna Hesse, EdD, assistant professor in the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division, has been named the 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/nebraskanurses.org\/\">Nebraska Nurses Association<\/a>\u2019s Nurse of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Hesse received the award Oct. 1 at the annual NNA Awards Dinner, held at the Younes Conference Center in Kearney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The award is a testament to Dr. Hesse\u2019s \u201cdedication, leadership, and contributions to nursing, which have made a meaningful difference,\u201d said Megan Lowery, executive director of the NNA, when informing Dr. Hesse of the award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReceiving this recognition is incredibly meaningful, and I am proud to be advancing nursing education while living and working in rural Nebraska,\u201d Dr. Hesse said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am passionate about supporting nurses throughout their educational journey, from preparing students for clinical practice through innovative simulation to supporting nurses at the master\u2019s and doctoral levels as they grow as leaders in our profession. At the same time, nursing is never something we do alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lepaine Sharp-McHenry, DNP, dean of the UNMC College of Nursing, called Dr. Hesse an invaluable asset to the college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe led the pilot study exploring the use of immersive virtual reality as an innovative learning technique for our students,\u201d Dr. Sharp-McHenry said. \u201cHer dedication to student learning through simulation has opened doors to new and engaging approaches to education. Through her leadership, creativity, and commitment to innovation, Dr. Hesse continues to enhance learning opportunities and positively impact the educational experience of our students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Hesse said the greatest successes in nursing are shared successes and thanked the people and teams who contributed to her receiving this recognition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis motivates me to continue advancing nursing education, pursuing meaningful scholarship and innovation, and contributing to work that I believe can have a lasting impact on our profession and the communities we serve,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dr. Hesse is an assistant professor in the UNMC College of Nursing Northern Division. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":135610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"72042,41770,49111,102763,21474,60949","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3840],"class_list":["post-135609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-nebraska-nurses-association","topic-inside-unmc","topic-unmc-community","department-college-of-nursing","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines","author_override-john-keenan-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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