Community News

(New Brunswick, N.J.) – During National Nurses Week, which is observed from May 6 through May 12, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) celebrated the dedicated nurses at its New Brunswick and Somerville campuses by recognizing the vital role that all nurses have in the medical community and honoring their commitment and dedication to their patients in Central Jersey.

“Our nursing teams at RWJ New Brunswick and RWJ Somerset have a reputation for excellence earned on a foundation of exceptional bedside care, innovative research, sharing best practices and an unwavering commitment to quality,” said Stephen K. Jones, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System. “Our nurses’ compassion and commitment to caring extend beyond the walls of our New Brunswick and Somerville campuses. Whether it is volunteering to serve at our many screenings and health education events in the community, or leading medical missions abroad to bring essential health care services to those in need, our nurses are an inspiration to us all.”

RWJUH held its Annual Nursing Excellence Awards Ceremony in New Brunswick on May 4 and in Somerville on May 6. The ceremony recognizes nursing excellence and demonstrates gratitude to nurses for their efforts to improve the lives of the hospital’s patients, their families and the community.

Ka Ying Lee, BSN, RN, OCN, RN-BC, WCC, of Monroe Township from the New Brunswick campus, was named the 2015 Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Magnet Nurse of the Year. The Somerville campus recognized Lynn Freeland, MSN, RNC of Maternity Services of Roselle Park with the top nursing honor, the 2015 Jean Dougherty Award, named after Jean Dougherty, a late nurse supervisor who worked at the medical center for more than 30 years. The following awards were also presented to at the celebration ceremonies:

New Brunswick Campus:

• Virginia H. Joseph Award: Teresa Damito, BSN, RN, RNC-OB CNIV , of Freehold
• Friend of Nursing Award: Brian Dobosh, of Newtown, PA, who works in Info Systems
• CCT/PCT Award: Junerose Gambito, CCT, of Manalapan
• Advanced Practice Provider Award: Susann Krane, MSN, RN, ACNP-BC, of North Brunswick, and Anthony Patten Jr., PA-C, of Roselle
• Transformational Leadership Award: Myrna Young, MSN, RN, CNOR, of North Brunswick
• Structural Empowerment Award: Brain Aneurysm Support Group
• Exemplary Professional Practice Award: Victoria Pangilinan, MSN, RN, CCRN, of Piscataway
• New Knowledge Innovation and Improvement Award: Mary Racel Villarica, BSN, RN-BC, of Dayton
• Recognition for its Nurse Residency Graduates: Tamara Alexander, BSN, RN, of New Brunswick; Kristin Andrews, BSN, RN, of Manalapan; Diana Faye Blaza, BSN, RN, of Scotch Plains; Annmarie Crowley, BSN, RN, of Piscataway; Jeanette Galindo-Lopez, BSN, RN, of New Brunswick; Juliet Lee, BSN, RN, of Cherry Hill; William Navarro, BSN, RN, of Matawan; Elizabeth Palamara, BSN, RN, of Somerset; Darshi Patel, BSN, RN, of Old Bridge; Kirsten Prins, BSN, RN, of Hawthorne; Naomi Rindenau, BSN, RN, of East Brunswick; Amanda Sawasky, BSN, RN, of Lawrenceville; Lindsey Setaro, BSN, RN, of Red Bank; Charles Smith, BSN, RN, of North Brunswick; and Emily Vogt, BSN, RN of Edison

Somerville Campus:

• Exemplary Professional Practice Award: Agnes Salamon, MSN, RN, ONC, of Bridgewater, who is the breast cancer patient navigator at the Steeplechase Cancer Center
• Performance Improvement Award: Barbara Muldowney, RN, of Stockton, who works in the hospital’s Maternity Pavilion
• Professional Development Award: Marta Kordal, RN, CMSRN, of Hillsborough, who works in the hospital’s Orthopedic Pavilion
• Patient/Family Education Award: Stacey Alphas, BSN, RN, of Hillsborough, who works in the hospital’s Oncology Clinical Research Department at the Steeplechase Cancer Center

• Transformational Nurse Leadership Award: Valerie Moore, BSN, RN, of Annendale, who is director of the hospital’s Same Day Surgery Department, Pre-Admission Testing Department and Post-Anesthesia Care Unit
• Kathleen Cummins Advanced Practice Nurse Award: Denise Gerhab, BSN, RN, WCC, OMS, of Iselin, who works as Clinical Nurse Educator with Wound Care Specialty
• Clinical Care Technician (CCT) of the Year: Alex Perez, of Bound Brook, who works in the hospital’s Medical Library

To learn more about RWJUH, please visit www.rwjuh.edu. For a referral to a physician affiliated with RWJUH, please call 1-888-MD-RWJUH. Follow us on Twitter at www.rwjuh.edu/twitter and Facebook at www.rwjuh.edu/facebook.

About Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Robert Wood Johnson Health System

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) is the flagship hospital of Robert Wood Johnson Health System – New Jersey’s premier health system which boasts three acute care hospitals: RWJUH in New Brunswick and Somerville; RWJUH- Hamilton and RWJUH- Rahway and a national leader in pediatric rehabilitation: Children’s Specialized Hospital, as well as five fitness and wellness centers and numerous outpatient facilities. Through RWJ Health System, patients have access to exceptional women’s and children’s services and expert cancer, cardiac, emergency, neurology, stroke, trauma and pediatric rehabilitation care in addition to comprehensive health and wellness programs.

RWJUH is a 965-bed academic medical center with campuses in New Brunswick and Somerville, NJ.  Its Centers of Excellence include cardiovascular care from minimally invasive heart surgery to transplantation, cancer care, stroke care, neuroscience, joint replacement, and women’s and children’s care including The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (www.bmsch.org).  As the flagship Cancer Hospital of Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the principal teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, RWJUH is an innovative leader in advancing state-of-the-art care. A Level 1 Trauma Center and the only Pediatric Trauma Center in the state, RWJUH’s New Brunswick campus serves as a national resource in its ground-breaking approaches to emergency preparedness.

RWJUH has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report seven times and has been selected by the publication as a high performing hospital in numerous specialties.  The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital has been ranked among the best hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years.

Both the New Brunswick and Somerset campuses have earned significant national recognition for clinical quality and patient safety, including the prestigious Magnet® Award for Nursing Excellence, an “A” patient safety rating from the Leapfrog Group and “Most Wired” designation by Hospitals and Health Networks Magazine. The Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services have designated the New Brunswick Campus as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and the Somerset Campus as a Primary Stroke Center.

The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer has rated RWJUH New Brunswick among the nation’s best comprehensive cancer centers and designated the Steeplechase Cancer Center at RWJ Somerset as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center.  The Joint Surgery Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery.

For more Information visit us online at www.rwjuh.edu.