D Magazine Presents

Excellence
in
Nursing Awards

There are jobs, and then there are callings. Some people are just born with the gift of caregiving, and through their gifts, they make our city a better place to live. D Magazine’s annual Excellence in Nursing Awards is the perfect opportunity to publicly recognize a nurse you see healing North Texas with skill and spirit.

Submit a nomination for a registered nurse who is making a difference.

Winners will be featured in the March 2026 issue of D Magazine.

Nominations Closed

Nominations for next year's program will open September 2026.

Enter your information below to be notified when nominations are open.


The Process

STEP 1

+ NOMINATIONS

D Magazine contacts local hospitals, doctors, nursing organizations, and patients and asks them to visit our website to nominate outstanding nurses. We ask nominators to answer three questions regarding how the nurses affected their lives, community, and professions.

STEP 2

+ VETTING PROCESS

The editors consider every nominee submitted, and cull the list down to select the best nominees in each category.

The staff does not count:

  • Self-nominations
  • Nominees outside of our geographic boundaries (view here)

STEP 3

+ INDEPENDENT PANEL REVIEW

The nominees selected by the editors are then sent to a panel of esteemed registered nurses in various fields to make final selections. The panel members do not judge those they work with directly. The panel changes periodically to ensure consideration is impartial.

D Magazine editors finalize the list by verifying each nurse’s:

  • Nursing license
  • Disciplinary status

STEP 4

+ NOTIFICATION

We mail and email congratulatory letters to the Excellence in Nursing honorees.

After notification, our sales team is allowed to view the list and offer advertising opportunities to winners.

We play fair:

  • Advertising dollars have zero impact on the creation of this list.
  • Excellence in Nursing honorees are featured in our March issue whether they advertise or not.

Congratulations to our 2026 Excellence in Nursing Winners.

Direct Care

Michelle Adams
Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health
Fertility Specialists of Texas

Elizabeth Alex
Registered Nurse
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Roya Ali-Sanchez
Team Leader, Critical Care Services
Children’s Health

Shara Baker
Registered Nurse
Parkland Health

Megan Bennett
Senior Registered Nurse, Cardiovascular ICU
Parkland Health

Janna Berg
Registered Nurse
Children’s Health

Christiana Breedlove
Charge Nurse, ICU
Dallas Regional Medical Center

Shanica Cobb-Scott
Registered Nurse II
Texas Health Dallas

Janee’ Conaway
Charge Nurse
Texas Health Dallas

Christina Craig
Clinical Nurse, Oncology
Texas Oncology

Remedios (Remy) David
Registered Nurse
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Miguel De La Rosa
Clinical Nurse
Methodist Charlton Medical Center

Nicole Douglas
Staff Nurse, Outpatient Behavioral Health
Texas Health Dallas

Susie Edlund
Trauma Nurse Clinician
Texas Health Dallas

Wendi Endres
Registered Nurse
Scottish Rite for Children

Alice Figueroa
Team Leader, Nursing Critical Care
Children’s Health

Brianna Garza
Registered Nurse, Inpatient ICU
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Shanna Girsh
Registered Nurse, Medical-Surgical
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Jennifer Gonzales
Registered Nurse, Psychiatry Consult Service
Parkland Health

Jay Goodwin
Registered Nurse
Premise Health

Joshua Goodwin
Registered Nurse
Methodist Dallas Medical Center

Leslie Green
Registered Nurse
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Christine Hajovsky
Registered Nurse
Children’s Health

Tanya Harp
Registered Nurse, Labor and Delivery
Texas Health Dallas

Corttney Haynie
Clinical Nurse Coordinator
Medical City McKinney

Kara Horn
Registered Nurse, Partial Hospital Program
Connections Wellness Group

Sonia Joseph
Registered Nurse
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Erum Kasmani
Senior Registered Nurse, Medical-Surgical
Parkland Health

Lacy Kendrick
Charge Nurse
Texas Health Dallas

Callie Lenfest
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Lauren Majek
Clinical Support Coordinator
Medical City Lewisville

Amanda Marquez
Registered Nurse
Children’s Health

Madison Marshall
Registered Nurse
Baylor University Medical Center

Nikki Marshall
Registered Nurse, Inpatient Team Lead
Children’s Health

Atabong Mbelem
Charge Nurse, Critical Care
Dallas Regional Medical Center

Alexandra McWilliams
Flight Registered Nurse
PHI Air Medical

Lindy Moake
Registered Nurse, Charge Nurse
Texas Health Denton

Rachel Morcom
Registered Nurse
Children’s Health

Brenda Navarrete
Orthopedic Coordinator
Methodist Charlton Medical Center

Cayleigh Ortiz
Registered Nurse
Medical City Lewisville

Kristen Parr
Registered Nurse
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Irving

Leslie Redden
Nurse Practitioner, Pediatrics
Prism Health North Texas

David Sooter
Registered Nurse
Scottish Rite for Children

Obed Thomas
Nurse Manager
Methodist Richardson Medical Center

Tucker Ward
Registered Nurse, Emergency
Texas Health Dallas

Heather Wiggs
Staff Nurse
Texas Health Dallas

Tonya Wilemon
Clinical Team Leader
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Education/Research

Carin Adams
Assistant Director of BSN Program
Texas Woman’s University

Radiance Bean
Director of Clinical Development Pathways Program
Children’s Health

Heather Benham
Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Rheumatology
Scottish Rite for Children

Courtney Brandt
Clinical Assistant Professor
Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing

Susan Chrostowski
Associate Clinical Professor, AGNP Track Coordinator
Texas Woman’s University

Cathy Colangelo
Manager of Maternal Program, Nursing Professional Development Specialist
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Centennial

Timecia Goree
Director of REdI Program and Simulation Coordinator
Veteran Affairs-North Texas Health Care System

Sheila Haley
Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor
Texas Woman’s University

Keisha McKinsey
Assistant Clinical Professor
Texas Woman’s University

Brenda Pope
Nurse Manager, Clinical Education and Professional Development
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Megan Raleigh
Nursing Professional Development Generalist
Baylor University Medical Center

Nathan Stewart
Unit Based Educator
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Mary Timmerman
Registered Nurse, Quality Coordinator
Texas Health Dallas

Katharine Vogelaar
Clinical Assistant Professor
Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing

Daphna Zack
Nurse Practitioner, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Leadership

Jose Alejandro-White
Nurse Scientist
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Ramona Baucham
Director of Magnet Program and Research Department
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Alicia Bosse
Manager, Magnet Program
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Staci Bray
Nurse Supervisor
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Lake Pointe

Julia Broido
Nurse Manager
Parkland Health

Dawn Brown
Director of Medicine and Special Pathogens
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Cindy Cassity
Director of Quality and Patient Safety
Baylor University Medical Center

Noami Cavett
Nursing Administrative Officer
Parkland Health

Erin Farrell
Associate Chief Nursing Officer
Methodist Dallas Medical Center

Katie Fields
Manager of Nursing Professional Governance Program
Children’s Health

Sherice Glasper
Nurse Manager
Parkland Health

Kaitlyn Gore
Nurse Manager
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Meron Gulilat
Nurse Clinical Coordinator
Methodist Richardson Medical Center

David Haggard
Assistant Director of Advanced Practice
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Ethan Hanley
Assistant Nurse Manager
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Mary Hawes
Director of Psychiatry
Children’s Health

Juanita Hernandez
Clinical Nurse Outcomes Coordinator
Texas Health Dallas

Jerry Hoang
Nurse Manager
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Aisha Honore-Otis
Clinical Nurse Outcomes Specialist
Texas Health Dallas

Beena Johnson
Nurse Manager
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Jacob Johnson
Division AVP, EMS and Emergency Preparedness
Medical City Dallas

Alison Kell
Director of Magnet and Nursing Recognition Program
Children’s Health

Yin (Mary) Lam
Director of Nursing
Parkland Health

Jodi Landon
Senior Vice President of Managed Care
Children’s Health

Maria Leal
Director of Nursing
Children’s Health

Michael McAllister
Program Manager, Clinical Excellence
Texas Health Arlington

Sally Michaud
Manager of Neonatal Program and Educator
Methodist Richardson Medical Center

Bea Onubuike
Nurse Manager
Methodist Charlton Medical Center

Lindsey Patton
Senior Director of Nursing Excellence, Research and Innovation
Children’s Health

Nisha Paul
Registered Nurse, Quality and Patient Safety
Baylor University Medical Center

Manuel Phillip
Interim Assistant Chief, Anesthesia
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Sara Pump
Registered Nurse, Psychiatry Team Lead
Children’s Health

Autumn Spencer
OPAT Care Coordinator, Pharmacy Administration
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Leigh Wilson
Director of Women Services
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center

Annabelle Zakarian
Manager of Nursing Excellence Program
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Plano

Congratulations to all our Excellence in Nursing Awards Winners

FAQ

How do I make nominations?

Nominations for the 2026 program are now closed.

What are the categories?

The categories are Education/Research, Leadership, and Direct Care. The panel reviews the categories each year and ensures we are not leaving out a worthy subsector.

How are winners selected?

Only nominees with a current RN license will be considered. Nominations are sent to a panel of multiple esteemed leaders in healthcare (Chief Nursing Officers, nursing educators, and more) for judging. Each panelist scores each submission. D Magazine compiles the scores, and the highest in each category are announced as winners.

When will the winners be announced?

The D Magazine editorial team contact winners directly. All winners will be featured in the March issue of D Magazine.

Where can I get more information?

For program or editorial information, contact Sarah Risi.

For advertising information, contact [email protected].