Four Outstanding Nursing Students, Educators Honored with 2022 DAISY Awards

The award recognizes compassion and care and the memory of a man who died at 33

Two senior students and two faculty members of the Davis & Henley College of Nursing received the 2022 DAISY Awards in recognition of their exemplary work in the 2021-22 academic year. Students Genevieve Nitzsche ‘22 and Marissa Pettinelli ‘22 and faculty members Shannon Pranger and Linda Morrow were all honored.

The family of J. Patrick Barnes established the awards to honor his memory by recognizing the nurses who gave him expert and compassionate care when he was hospitalized for and ultimately died from idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura at age 33. The award’s name is an acronym for diseases that attack the immune system.

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students celebrates those who demonstrate commitment to care and compassion. Pursuing her first professional degree, Pettinelli persevered through a severe illness while attending class full time. She was successful academically and maintained a wonderful attitude while going through this difficult experience. Nominators said she will make an incredibly empathetic, caring registered nurse. 

Nitzsche acted as a medical liaison last semester, using her nursing education and assessment skills to intervene in a family medical emergency. She facilitated her uncle’s transport to the hospital and cared for his two young children while he was hospitalized – all while continuing her academic success. 

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Faculty honors educators who inspire their students to bring the art and science of nursing to every patient experience. Morrow teaches in the online graduate leadership program. Students who nominated her found her humanistic style and motivational statements embody the transformational leadership qualities she teaches and offer a live example of what nurse leaders should strive to be every day.

Pranger teaches in the first professional degree program. Students praised her unique teaching style that keeps them engaged and shares her love for nursing. They said she truly cares about her students, keeping in touch and supporting them long after they leave her warm, welcoming classroom.

All four received certificates of recognition and The Healer’s Touch sculpture, hand-carved in Zimbabwe from serpentine stone and symbolizing the unique relationship nurses have with their patients.