Nurse practitioners, advocates honored during national nursing conference

Nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner advocates, recipients of the prestigious State Awards for Excellence, were honored during the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) 27th National Conference in Orlando, Florida June 20-24.

The State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence, founded in 1991, recognizes a nurse practitioner in a state who demonstrates excellence in practice, research, nurse practitioner education, or community affairs. In 1993, the State Award for Nurse Practitioner Advocate was added to recognize the efforts of individuals who have made a significant contribution toward increasing the awareness and acceptance of the nurse practitioner.

The recipient of the 2012 State Award for Nurse Practitioner Excellence from Arizona is Denise G. Link. Link is a women’s health nurse practitioner and Program Director for NP Healthcare Grace, a nurse-led clinic in central Phoenix. Link was recognized for her sustained contributions to evidence based clinical practice and her implementation of an nurse practitioner led clinic that provides integrated mental and physical healthcare with an interdisciplinary staff.

The AANP was founded in 1985 and is the oldest, largest and only full-service national professional organization for nurse practitioners of all specialties. With more than 34,000 individual members and over 170 group members, AANP provides national representation for approximately 155,000 nurse practitioners. AANP continually advocates for the active role of nurse practitioners as providers of high-quality, cost-effective and personalized health care. More about AANP.