News & Stories
Gloucester County Woman Named Cooper 2017 Nurse of the Year
Cooper Nursing Excellence Awards Kick Off National Nurses Week May 6-12
Kathy Coyle, RN, named Nurse of the Year at the Nursing Excellence Awards held on May 3, 2017.
CAMDEN, NJ— Gloucester County resident Kathy Coyle, RN, was named Nurse of the Year tonight during the 2017 Nursing Excellence Awards hosted by The Cooper Foundation and Cooper University Health Care.
Coyle, who lives in Williamstown, NJ, has been a nurse on the Intensive Care Unit for 42 years. She received the Cooper Nurse of the Year Award and the William and Eileen Archer Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing.
“In the more than four decades since Kathy came to Cooper as a new nurse barely 20 years old, she has built a legacy,” said Stephanie Conners, Hospital Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, Cooper University Health Care. “Kathy has cared for thousands of patients and their families and has mentored hundreds of nurses. Her commitment to excellence is apparent in every shift, every week, every year.”
“As we head into National Nurses Week, the Nursing Excellence Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the exceptional care our nurses and collaborative teams provide,” Conners continued. “Our goal is to provide the highest safety, service and quality to everyone we care for at Cooper. Our winners demonstrate the difference one team with one purpose can make.”
The 2017 Nursing Excellence Awards honored 22 nurses and collaborative care providers and teams for their outstanding contributions to excellence in patient care. Award winners were nominated by their colleagues for their commitment to upholding the Cooper mission “to serve, to heal, to educate.”
“The nurses at Cooper are at the heart and soul of our organization,” said Adrienne Kirby, President and CEO, Cooper University Health Care. “They bring the highest level of clinical expertise and compassionate care to our patients and play a pivotal role in creating exceptional patient outcomes. Cooper nurses are consistently focused on clinical quality, patient safety and the patient and family experience.”
More than 250 guests attended the awards dinner, which was held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill.
“Our nurses are real-life super heroes, saving the world with each patient they treat,” said Susan Bass Levin, President and CEO of The Cooper Foundation. “Congratulations to this year’s award winners and a special thanks to our generous donors whose gifts help assist the winners with education and training.”
A complete list of the 2017 Nursing Excellence Awards winners follows.
• Audrey Bennett-Axelrod, MSN, RNC-OB, of Cherry Hill, NJ – Staff Nurse, Labor and Delivery, Charlotte Tobiason Memorial Award for Excellence in Obstetrical Nursing
• John Chovanes, DO, FACS, of Sewell, NJ – Trauma Surgeon, Department of Surgery/Trauma, Nursing Alumni Excellence Award for Nursing-Physician Partnership
• Jennifer Colligon, RN, BSN, RNFA, CNOR, of Fairless Hills, PA – Clinical Specialist RNFA, Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Philip and Carole Norcross Award for Excellence in Perioperative Nursing
• Kathy Coyle, RN, of Williamstown, NJ – Staff Nurse, Intensive Care Unit, William and Eileen Archer Award for Excellence in Critical Care Nursing, Nurse of the Year
• Pamela Crabtree, RN, CPHQ, of Turnersville, NJ – Clinical Outcomes Manager, Performance Improvement Department, The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Nursing Mentorship
• Catherine Daly, RN, BSN, ACLS, of Waterford, NJ – Staff Nurse, Kelemen N/S 10, Ruth Parry/Moorestown Auxiliary Award for Excellence in Geriatric Nursing
• Rhonda DeMoulin-Bailey, BA, RRT, of Mays Landing, NJ – Respiratory Therapist, Respiratory Care, Carol G. Tracey Compassion Award
• Samantha Epstein, RN, BSN, of Philadelphia, PA – Staff Nurse, Kelemen N/S/ 10, The Selma and Martin Hirsch Award for Excellence in Medical Surgical Nursing
• Colleen Gannon, RN, BSN, of Delran, NJ – Staff Nurse, Pavilion 6, The Shaina Horton Memorial Award for Excellence in Service
• Jessica Hernandez, of Camden, NJ– Nurse Associate, Pavilion 7, The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Service (Non-Nursing)
• Jacklynn Keegan, RN, of Deptford, NJ – Staff Nurse, Pavilion 5, The Rose Smith and Sue Zamitis Memorial Award for Excellence in Oncology Nursing
• Ryan Mennel, RN, BSN, CCRN, of Woolwich, NJ– Staff Nurse, Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Award for Excellence in Trauma Nursing
• Brian O’Toole, RN, TNCC, ALS, BLS, of West Deptford, NJ – Staff Nurse, Emergency Department, The Lynn Nelson Award for Excellence in Emergency Nursing
• Evelyn Robles-Rodriguez, RN, MSN, APN, AOCN, of Sewell, NJ – Oncology Advanced Practice Nurse, Director of Outreach Prevention and Survivorship, MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, Moorestown Auxiliary Award for Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing
• Sherry Schlagle, MS, CCLS, CT, of Pitman, NJ – Senior Child Life Specialist, Child Life Program, The Barbara and Jack Tarditi Award for Excellence in Service (Non-Nursing)
• Larissa Schoudt, RN, BSN, CCRN, of Woodbury Heights, NJ – Staff Nurse, Coronary Care Unit, The Cooper Heart Institute & The Heart House Award for Excellence in Cardiovascular Nursing
• Laura Siemianowski, PharmD., BCPS, BCCCP, of Philadelphia, PA – Clinical Care Pharmacist, Pharmacy/Viner Intensive Care Unit, The Women’s Board of Cooper Hospital Allied Health Professional Excellence Award (Non-Nursing)
• Barbara Smith, RN, of Hainesport, NJ – Staff Nurse, Digestive Health Institute, The Women’s Board of Cooper University Health Care Award for Excellence in Ambulatory Nursing
• Nora Vizzachero, DNP, APN, of Wyndmoor, PA – Lead Advanced Practice Nurse Pediatric Neurology and Development, Women’s and Children’s Institute, Dr. Ronald Bernardin Memorial Award for Excellence in Pediatric Nursing
• Jackie Whitehead, RN, of Cherry Hill, NJ– Patient Educator, Pediatrics/Neonatology, John Henry Kronenberger Memorial Award for Excellence in Neonatal Nursing
• Pamela Young, BSN, of Sewell, NJ– Clinical Director, Pavilion, 7, The Philip and Carole Norcross Award for Nurse Leadership
• Pavilion 8 – Outstanding Team Award
For more information about our outstanding winners, click here.
Browse and purchase photos of our award winners in their clinical areas and at the award dinner, click here.
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