March of Dimes presents 'Nurse of the Year' awards to ASU faculty


Elizabeth Reifsnider, Ph.D.

Two College of Nursing & Health Innovation faculty members at Arizona State University were awarded the "2013 Nurse of the Year" award in their respective categories by the March of Dimes Arizona chapter.

The awards were announced Aug. 24 at the 10th Annual Nurse of the Year Awards Gala on March of Dimes’ 75th anniversary. The gala paid tribute to nurses throughout Arizona who continue to deliver the highest standard of care to their patients.

ASU awards recipients included:

Kimberly Radig
Patient Care, Clinical Nursing Role category

Radig is a faculty associate for the college and a member of the St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center’s Nursery Intensive Care Unit Development Committee. Radig helped implement two policy changes, including the Small Baby Protocol, which identified a plan of care for patients at less than 28 weeks gestation. The second policy change was Adjunct Use of Sucrose, resulting from her evidence-based research in sucrose administration.

Elizabeth Reifsnider
Advancing the Profession through Evidence-Based Practice category

Reifsnider is the associate dean for research and is a Nancy Melvin Professor of Pediatric Nursing for the college. For the past 25 years, Reifsnider has conducted research to identify public health interventions to improve health of infants and children from low-income families. She often collaborates with state and county health departments to address the issues of nutrition and growth in young children.

Additionally, Gail Hock was a finalist for the Leadership category. Hock was a clinical assistant professor for the college, until her retirement this summer. She is involved in the Arizona Partnership for Immunizations.

“It is no surprise to me [that] Kimberly, Liz and Gail were recognized in such a wonderful way for their contributions to nursing,” said Teri Pipe, dean of ASU’s College of Nursing & Health Innovation. “Not only do they contribute innovative ideas of improving patient outcomes, especially among children, they are exemplary role models to our nursing students.”

Radig, Reifsnider and Hock were among more than 100 nurses nominated for the awards.

To learn more about the College of Nursing & Health Innovation visit https://chs.asu.edu and https://nursingandhealth.asu.edu.