College of Nursing honors distinguished alumnae and longtime supporter
The University of Akron College of Nursing Alumni Society will honor four outstanding alumnae and a longtime supporter of the college at its annual Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on Oct. 13 at Martin University Center.
The honorees were chosen for their achievements in the nursing field and significant contributions to their communities.
The 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award honorees are: Ann-Marie Brown (’85), a critical care nurse practitioner coordinator at Akron Children’s Hospital; Eileen Good (’85, ’91), chief nursing officer and senior vice president of clinical services for Aultman Health Foundation; Annette Mitzel (’77, ’83), director of the Nursing Center for Community Health at UA; and Janice Murphy (’91), president of Fairview Hospital and Lakewood Hospital. Also honored will be The Honorable Harold F. White, a longtime supporter of the College of Nursing.
Women of accomplishment
Ann-Marie Brown of Copley earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UA in 1985. She began her career with Akron Children’s Hospital in 1986 as a staff nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit. In 1987, she took a position with the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Duke University Medical Center, where she stayed until 1990. She then returned to Akron Children’s Hospital, where she worked as a transport coordinator, transport nurse, clinical coordinator and critical care resource nurse, as well as her present position, critical care nurse practitioner coordinator. Currently, she is working on a Ph.D. in nursing through UA and Kent’s joint program.
In addition to her work at Akron Children’s Hospital, Brown serves as an adjunct faculty member for UA’s College of Nursing and has played an integral role in the establishment and growth of the college’s Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program.
Eileen Good of Dalton earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing at UA in 1985 and 1991, respectively. She began her 43-year nursing career with Aultman Hospital in 1965 as a nurse recruiter and emergency department head nurse. After serving in several positions with Aultman over the years, today she is chief nursing officer and senior vice president of clinical services.
Good’s leadership has helped lead to several noteworthy accomplishments at Aultman, most notably the establishment of the first inpatient hospice care center in Stark County. In addition, she was instrumental in the development of the Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Annette Mitzel of Stow earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1977, and a master’s degree in family health nursing in 1984, both from UA. She began her career at Akron General Medical Center as a staff nurse in the oncology unit, and then worked at Barberton Citizens Hospital for 10 years in various nursing positions before joining Visiting Nurse Service as the director of planning and marketing in 1993. In 1994, she returned to academia as an instructor in UA’s College of Nursing. Here, she refocused her clinical skills to concentrate on holistic nursing and complementary therapies. She is a licensed massage therapist and certified Healing Touch practitioner.
UA’s Nursing Center for Community Health has expanded under Mitzel’s leadership and operates six nurse-managed clinics in the area, providing much-needed care to the uninsured. The center serves as an inter-professional site for nursing, medical, nutrition and sports medicine students.
Janice Murphy of Columbia Station earned a master’s degree in nursing from UA in 1991. She began her nursing career at Fairview Hospital as a bedside oncology nurse in 1978, and after serving in several positions with the hospital, today she is its president. Under her leadership, Fairview Hospital and Lakeview Hospital consistently have scored the highest patient satisfaction scores across the Cleveland Clinic region.
Contributions make a difference for students
The Honorable Harold F. White of Akron, a longtime supporter of the College of Nursing, will be awarded the 2010 College of Nursing Dean’s Award by Dr. N. Margaret Wineman. White and his late wife, Jeannette, provided a gift to the College of Nursing in 2008 that endowed two scholarships: the Edna Cornelia Berry Nursing Scholarship in honor of Jeannette White’s aunt; and the Laura Murie Leafgren Nursing Scholarship in memory of Jeannette White’s sister. Judge White continues to support these scholarships annually to extend their impact on nursing students.
In addition, the Whites provided a gift that enabled the renovation of the Dean’s Suite in Mary Gladwin Hall.
Media contact: Sarah Lane, 330-972-7429 or slane@uakron.edu.