New Hampshire Magazine and the New Hampshire Nurses Association present the 8th Annual Excellence in Nursing Awards.

These awards honor the unsung heroes of the state’s healthcare community – those who go above and beyond to comfort, heal and educate – bringing to light how critical nursing is to achieving comprehensive healthcare.

2025 Excellence in Nursing Awards

Thank you for your interest in the 2025 Excellence in Nursing Awards. This year, there are 16 nominations categories.

Please note: The nomination period has now ended. Nominations closed on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a nomination; we understand and appreciate the time and resources needed to give meaningful recognition to a colleague.

Winners will be announced by the end of March 2024.

2025 Excellence in Nursing Awards Ceremony

Join us as we celebrate this year’s recipients!

Wednesday, May 14, 2025  | 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Southern New Hampshire University
The Dining Center Banquet Hall

2500 North River Road
Manchester, NH

Congratulations to the 2025 Recipients

  • Academic Nurse Educator-Researcher: Justin Montgomery, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Advanced Practice Nursing: Christine Gooley, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Ambulatory Care Nursing: Jennifer Thebodeau, VA Manchester Healthcare System
  • Emergency Nursing: Chastity Hodgson, Cheshire Medical Center
  • Frontline Leader (Small hospital): Nicole Wakeman, New London Hospital
  • Frontline Leader (Large hospital): Pam Switzer, Cheshire Medical Center
  • Gerontology Nursing: Catherine Amarante, Dartmouth Health Lead, Honoring Care Decisions
  • Hospice-Palliative Care: Ellie Atherton, Granite VNA
  • Medical Surgical Nursing: Lauren Kempton, Elliot Hospital
  • Nurse Innovator: Amber Bechard, The Elliot
  • Nursing Informatics: Pamela Bullock, Littleton Regional Healthcare
  • Pediatric and School Nursing: Johanne Fisher, Elliot Hospital
  • Professional Nurse Educator: Eileen Glover, River Valley Community College
  • Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing: Jill MacGregor, Center for Recovery Management Nashua
  • Public Health Nursing: April Phelps, University of New Hampshire
  • Senior Nurse Leader (Small hospital): Jennifer Winslow, Manchester VA Medical Center
  • Senior Nurse Leader (Large hospital): Tracy Galvin, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center

2025 Categories

  • Academic Nurse Educator/Researcher: This category recognizes a nurse involved in education who works in academia in educating nurses at Associate, Bachelor, Masters or Doctorate levels. This category also  recognizes a nurse involved in research who works to advance evidence-based practice defined as: “the integration of best research, clinical expertise, and patient values in making decisions about the care of individualized patients.”
  • Advanced Practice Nursing: This category recognizes an Advance Practice Registered Nurse working in any practice setting, including nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse anesthetists, and nurse midwives.
  • Ambulatory Care Nursing: This category recognizes a nurse working in the ambulatory care setting and includes nurses in care coordination, dialysis, clinic-based nursing, and telehealth nursing (based on Association Ambulatory Care Nursing defining characteristics).
  • Emergency and Critical Care Nursing: This category recognizes a nurse working as an emergency nurse, flight nurse, urgent care nurse, intensive care unit, progressive care unit (telemetry), perianesthesia care unit (PACU), or pediatric intensive care unit.
  • Front line/Administrative Nursing: This category recognizes a front line or administrative nursing leader and includes nursing supervisors, clinical leaders, informal/project leaders (infection control, onboarding), or functional leaders (leaders without direct reports). (*Please note: For 2025, a large and small hospital winner to be determined for this category.)
  • Gerontology Nursing: This category recognizes a nurse working in gerontologic care or long-term care and includes nurses working in skilled nursing, assisted living, intermediate care, or dementia/memory care.
  • Hospice-Palliative Care: This category recognizes a nurse working in hospice-palliative care, and includes nurses working in hospice, skilled nursing/rehabilitation, assisted living, intermediate care, palliative care, or dementia/memory care.
  • Maternal-Child Nursing: This category recognizes a nurse working in prenatal care, high-risk maternal-fetal care, intrapartum care, postpartum care, newborn special care, or newborn intensive care.
  • Medical Surgical Nursing: This category recognizes a nurse working in acute care settings and includes nurses working on in-patient units, including medical-surgical units, post-operative care units, wound care nursing, same day surgery or operating suites.
  • Professional Nurse Educator: This category recognizes a nurse involved in education who works to advance the knowledge, skills and professionalism required for patient-centered care. This includes active nursing education activities in environments such as: nursing professional development (organizational settings) and nurse education.
  • Nursing Informatics: This category recognizes a nurse involved in nursing informatics who works to “integrate nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice” (ANA – https://www.himss.org/resources/what-nursing-informatics).
  • Nurse Innovator/Entrepreneur and Quality Improvement This category recognizes a nurse who is an innovator/entrepreneur (product developer or healthcare delivery), or quality improvement nurse.
  • Pediatric & School Nursing: This category recognizes nurses working with the pediatric population (primary care, in-patient pediatric setting, camp) or in a school setting.
  • Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing: This category recognizes a psychiatric and mental health or substance use disorder, nurse working on in-patient units, or in community-based care.
  • Community/Public Health Nursing: This category recognizes nurses working in the community setting including home care, correctional nursing, occupational health, a public health department, or parish nursing.
  • Senior Nurse Leader: This category recognizes a senior nursing leader and includes nursing directors, vice presidents, or chief nursing officers. (Please note: For 2025, a large and small hospital winner to be determined for this category.*)

*A small hospital is defined as hospital with 199 or less beds and a large hospital is defined as a hospital with 200 or more beds

EXCELLENCE IN NURSING RECIPIENTS

Excellence in Nursing Awards 2024

As the world corrects back to baseline post-pandemic, the public has become more aware of the challenges nurses face, and the professionalism and compassion they demonstrate as they continue to provide the best possible care in stressful, uncertain times.

Excellence in Nursing Awards 2023

As the world corrects back to normal following the pandemic, it is perhaps a bit more aware of the challenges nurses face, and the professionalism and compassion they demonstrate as they continue to provide the best possible care during yet another shifting season.

Excellence in Nursing Awards 2021

Today’s nurses are highly skilled and integral healthcare partners in modern medicine. Recent events reminded the world of just how often nurses are the unsung heroes of the medical community. These talented individuals provide their skills and sacrifice on a daily basis, and now, thanks to COVID-19, we have a glimpse of the debt we owe.

Excellence in Nursing Awards 2020

Until recent events reminded the world of just how much we need them, nurses were the unsung heroes of the medical community. These talented individuals provide their skills and sacrifice on a daily basis, and now thanks to COVID-19, we have a glimpse of the debt we owe. New Hampshire Magazine, in partnership with the New Hampshire Nurses Association, is proud to say thanks to them all by calling out a few in our Excellence in Nursing Awards.

Excellence in Nursing Awards 2019

The second annual Excellence in Nursing Awards honor 13 unsung heroes of the state’s medical community, and bring to light how critical nursing is to achieving comprehensive healthcare. Meet this year's winners.

The 2018 Excellence in Nursing Awards

The inaugural Excellence in Nursing Awards honor 13 unsung heroes of the state’s medical community, and bring to light how critical nursing is to achieving comprehensive healthcare.

2021 Virtual Awards Ceremony

This event was held on Thursday, May 20, 2021

2020 Virtual Awards Ceremony

Held Thursday, November 19, 2020

In Partnership With

Presented by

P32h Endorsement Hph Color Rgb Centered

Additional support from

Dh Logo Fullcolor Rgb 400pxwide

Excellence in Nursing Reception Photos

Categories: Health & Wellness, Top Doctors