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For more than a decade, St. Louis Magazine has spotlighted the remarkable efforts of nurses across the region through the Excellence in Nursing Awards, presented by BJC HealthCare and Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College. We do this each year in the May issue to coincide with National Nurses Week, which concludes on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12.
These professionals consistently exhibit selfless care, compassion, and service, but as the COVID-19 crisis is challenging the medical community and altering the very fabric of our lives, it’s a particularly appropriate time to acknowledge their inspiring work. These oft-unsung heroes of health care rise to their best when patients are at their worst, treating St. Louisans facing a wide range of conditions and circumstances and providing comfort at a particularly trying time.
So this year, beyond recognizing the honorees, we'd like to share a simple message with nurses and other local heroes across the region: Thank you.
BJC HealthCare
St. Louis Magazine thanks our 2021 Excellence in Nursing sponsors. Presenting Sponsors: BJC HealthCare and Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College; Gold Sponsor: SSM Health; Silver Sponsor: Saint Louis University Trudy Busch Valentine School of Nursing; Supporting Sponsors: St. Luke's Hospital, South City Hospital.
Watch the virtual awards reception
Watch the 12th annual Excellence in Nursing Awards ceremony
Community Care/Ambulatory Care
Deborah Horton
Saint Louis University School of Nursing
Though she originally had her sights set on working in physical therapy, Horton has made a career of ensuring the health of those around her and educating the next generation of nurses. Last fall, she organized and orchestrated weekly COVID-19 testing to monitor the prevalence of the virus among students on SLU’s campus. The university reported a 4.4. percent positivity rate. “Her motivation, desire, and knowledge have provided a sound basis as a public health leader not only in the SLU community but to the larger St. Louis community,” says one colleague.
On teaching the next generation of nurses: “One of my former students recently told me, ‘You sparked a huge fire in me and made me better prepared for what the world is now facing.’”
On the rewards of the job: “From an education standpoint with my nursing students, it’s when I can see the students after they’ve moved on from graduation and into their careers, they come back to me and say, ‘Hey, we totally appreciate where you’re coming from,’ or ‘Remember this?’”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Pediatrics: Neonatal
Tonya Hindersmann
Mercy Hospital Washington
When she saw that some parents had to bury stillborn children in Styrofoam caskets because they lacked the funds for funeral services, Hindersmann and her husband began building wooden caskets. “We figured that this is one way that we could give back,” she says, “and help those grieving families.” Since she was 5 years old, Hindersmann knew that she wanted to help others; she’d seen her mother and aunts pursue careers as nurses. “There’s no better career than being able to bring babies into the world,” she says. She’s worked in such departments as OB/GYN, newborn nursery, labor and delivery, and special care nursery. Her current job involves post-delivery education, helping with breastfeeding, and caring for mom and baby after birth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hindersmann has taken on other responsibilities, including assisting on the medical floors of the COVID unit.
On adjusting to COVID-19 protocols: “It’s a challenge to work in an area that’s not your main area, but it’s also amazing to see how well everyone has pulled together and done whatever needs to be done to help people through the pandemic.”
Women’s Health
Heather Hanratty
Mercy Hospital Washington
Seeing her mother’s passion for helping others shaped Hanratty’s desire to become a caregiver herself. A staff nurse in the labor and delivery unit, Hanratty remains dedicated to caring for patients, her favorite part of the job. “Each time a woman comes in, it’s a new experience to them, whether it’s the first baby or her 10th,” she says. “I’m lucky enough to be a part of it and to be included in this miracle.”
On the most important component to giving quality care: “Work as a team, and know your strengths and weaknesses. There might be something I can’t do as well as my co-worker, and asking for help is important to ensure that we give the best care possible.”
Emergency Department
Michelle Parmentier
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
When a patient with uncontrolled HIV entered SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital’s emergency department and it was discovered that he also had hepatitis C, Parmentier visited him every day. After learning that he was estranged from his family, a colleague recalls, the lead nurse navigator tracked down a relative in another state who later helped reconnect him with his mother. Providing support for St. Louisans facing HIV and HCV is a mission for Parmentier, who’s been speaking with state legislators to make tests, along with any necessary treatments, available to all Missouri residents. Her philosophy: the Swahili phrase “Concern is like medicine.”
On the importance of trust in patient relationships: “I had a young pregnant woman who had hepatitis C. She confided in me that when she first tried to make an appointment, she didn’t want to give her history, because when she heard the receptionist’s voice, she was too afraid to let her know she had used drugs before. It just illustrates the unconditional positive regard that we have to give patients so they trust us enough to give us the history we need to holistically take care of them.”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Cardiovascular
Nichole Russell
SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Russell, a nurse of more than 16 years, pursued the health care field after watching her grandmother, whom she says embraced the opportunity to care for others. Now she lives by her example, overseeing the ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, in which a machine takes over the work of the heart and lungs), STEMI (a serious type of heart attack), and heart failure programs at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and working with nurses to ensure that every patient’s needs are met. If there’s one silver lining of the pandemic, she says, it’s that the public might better understand the importance of personal health.
On a memorable story from the past year: “We had a COVID-19 patient in 2020 who was on an ECMO machine for 26 days and survived. He was home in time for Christmas with his family. It was an incredible story. His community and church came out to greet him. It was so overwhelmingly heartwarming.”
Acute Care/Family Practice
Susan Willenbrock
The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis
As an infection prevention specialist, Willenbrock has spent the pandemic working extra-long hours all week to ensure that the institute’s staff and patients know how to protect themselves from COVID-19. She’s become an educational resource for her peers and their families, often fielding questions about how to best wear PPE and taking calls even while away from work. A colleague notes that the caregiver of more than 25 years has been a “source of calm for our entire staff.”
On her advice to other nurses: “You have to take time out for yourself. Especially during the pandemic while you’re staying home more, do things to decompress and make sure that you’re treating yourself well. Eat well, sleep, and try to find hobbies to decompress and take time off.”
Administration
Pierre Smith
Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
At age 20, Smith wanted to be a fireman, like his dad—but when he was faced with climbing a 100-foot ladder, that all changed. “I said, ‘Lord, if you help me get down this ladder, I’ll go to nursing school,’” he says. He then trained as a medic when he joined the Army Reserve and later became an EMT at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Smith, who now has a doctorate in nursing practice, oversees Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s staff and patient care, which has included rotating floors both on the south and north sides of the hospital, making sure there are beds for COVID-19 patients, and providing information to patients and their family members about current statuses and diagnoses.
His philosophy for life: “If I treat patients like they’re my grandmother, my grandfather, my mother, my father, sister, brother, uncle, then I know I’m always going to do the right thing.”
On modifying the hospital’s visitor policy during the pandemic: “Trying to explain to family members who can’t come in to see their loved ones because they’re on a COVID floor is very hard at times, especially if their loved ones are not doing well and we can’t let them in to see that loved one.”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Educator
Sarah Weyhrich
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Weyrich has been a nurse with St. Louis Children’s Hospital for three decades. Beyond her time spent with patients, her passion is education through simulation. She’s been instrumental in creating and implementing simulation programs that better prepare medical students, colleagues, and patients’ families in caring for children. She also helped form the VENTS program to create support for families and staff in caring for children who are dependent on tracheostomies and ventilators. “Sarah is very dedicated to parents and families,” notes one peer, adding that Weyhrich has stayed in touch with some patients for decades.
On her optimism for the future of nursing: “[The COVID-19 pandemic] forced us to look at our content and processes and say, ‘Here’s our opportunity to change them.’”
Emerging Leader
Kevin Crocker
Mercy Hospital South
Crocker’s first year in the nursing field was filled with obstacles that even veteran nurses hadn’t yet faced. Regardless of the challenges and PPE, colleagues laud his attention to detail. “Kevin had a patient who was starting to decline, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong. He involved the physician and the rapid response team. The patient transferred to a higher level of care,” noted one of his peers. “If Kevin had not recognized that something just wasn’t quite right, the outcome might have been different.”
On the key to leadership: “Being a role model and just doing the next right thing, being positive in general. Not only is it good for the people around you and your patients, but overall it’s better for you.”
On a recent gratifying moment: “Normally, patients have a loved one, a wife, husband, whomever next to them. Right now, they’re all alone. Being able to connect these people, making sure their family is getting the information they need about their loved one, that was really rewarding.”
Intensive Care
Patricia Wilkinson
Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Many of us end our workdays at 6 p.m., but Wilkinson’s is just beginning. As a nurse in Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s intensive care unit, Wilkinson spends her nights treating patients with physical trauma, an area she’s gravitated toward since her time working for a critical care transport team involving Air Force members in Iraq and Afghanistan. Looking back on rewarding patient interactions, she recalls a young boy who was in a coma after a motor vehicle crash. After learning that he had a love for dogs, Wilkinson regularly visited him with a special guest: Lexi, her English mastiff and certified therapy dog.
Advice for new nurses: “Be prepared to work your butt off, put patients’ needs before yours, work long shifts, be exhausted, and rarely celebrate a holiday on its actual day. If you can get past that, though, the rewards outweigh the sacrifices.”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Advanced Practice
Robyn Myers
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
When she started her career, Myers worked six months in a general practice, but she longed for a hospital’s fast-paced environment: “There’s something about working in a hospital that’s just different.” Today, as a nurse practitioner, Myers works on a surgical trauma team, participating in surgeries on injured children. She also educates patients and parents about how to get back on their feet.
On treating young patients: “They’re very, very resilient. Children handle things well, and a lot of things that adults would struggle with, kids bounce back after, which is, frankly, inspiring.”
Research
Amanda Criebaum
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
As a research coordinator at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute, Criebaum currently leads nine studies involving fetal anomalies and supports nine neonatal research projects. In addition, she has guided more than 150 nurses in 47 evidence-based projects. In her efforts to recruit babies for her clinical studies, Criebaum has made herself available 24/7 to the nursing and physician staff and worked with parents in the late evenings and on weekends. With her wealth of knowledge and dedication, Criebaum’s peers consider her a “constant resource” and “a leader to all around her.”
On conducting research: “If we’re doing something that we’ve been doing the same way for 15 years, maybe ask, Is this still the best way to be doing it, or can we do something better to help our patients?”
Advice to new nurses: “One of the most important things is to listen to the parents [of patients who are children]. What they’re telling you is important, because they know their child. Take the time to slow down, listen to the parents to get to know the families, make that connection with them—it’s going to help immensely.”
Medical-Surgical Nursing
Ryan Boyer
Mercy Hospital South
As a clinical team leader at Mercy Hospital South’s medical telemetry department, Boyer feels fortunate to assist both patients and team members. He serves as a resource to peers, providing knowledge and leadership in times of crisis, notes one of his colleagues. Recently, when the team was responding to a Code Blue with a COVID-19 patient, the team member recalls, “Ryan’s presence and leadership helped create a sense of calmness and organization in a very high-stress situation.”
On the pandemic: “Whenever COVID got as bad as it could, it became a challenge for the nurses and the nursing staff, seeing the things that we were seeing and then still having to keep your head up and push through. But there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. For a lot of the nurses and myself, we’re all stronger for having to go through COVID.”
On the keys to effective leadership: “Communication, teamwork, always honing your skills. Challenge yourself, and always push to know more and do more.”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal
Kira Geile
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
While interning at St. Louis Children’s Hospital as a pre-med student, Geile recalls, “I was blown away by the nurses, the knowledge they had and the care they gave.” Geile transferred to nursing school and became a pediatric nurse practitioner. Today, at the same hospital where she interned, Geile manages outpatient care, plans apheresis procedures (separation of blood cells from plasma), and studies lab data to assess and improve dialysis machines. Geile has helped evolve the hospital’s apheresis and dialysis procedures through her research and resources from the American Society for Apheresis.
On working with children and families: “It provides a wonderful perspective. Kids are so resilient and see the good in things, and I strive to do the same… And the families as well—every family is different but rise to the challenges. I had a whole new appreciation of that when I became a mom myself.”
Hospice/ Home Health/ Palliative Care
Christy Stellhorn
De Greeff Hospice House, Mercy Hospital South
The hardest part of hospice work, Stellhorn says, is seeing the pain that families endure. During such times, colleagues note, Stellhorn remains kind, patient, and positive. “It’s an honor to walk with patients and their families,” she says, “as they go through this journey.”
On what makes her work meaningful: “Even the little things matter, like when you give ice cream and zap it a few seconds, so it’s warm and creamy. There can also be intense things, like getting symptoms under control and families in a crisis. Yet it can be just sitting quietly with somebody or listening and reassuring them.”
On hospice care: “Sometimes you don’t just listen with your ears to what patients are saying; you’re learning about them by looking at their room, their families, their body language, their face. They may start talking to you, and what’s on their heart will come out.”
Oncology
Marsha Fey
SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital
A nurse for more than 40 years, Fey started as a staff nurse with Deaconess Hospital and is now a charge nurse at the Infusion Center at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital. Explaining her work at the center, Fey says the first step is close assessment and conversation with every patient to determine individual needs. Her bedside manner hasn’t gone unnoticed: “Marsha’s professional skills and patient advocacy have always been at the forefront of her engaging approach,” notes one colleague. “She never fails to lead with her heart.”
On the power of teamwork in nursing: “Collaboration is key to making this kind of a job work—collaboration with my co-workers, with our patients and their families, and with their physician. You’re never here all by yourself. It’s never just about you.”
On best bedside manner: “When I work with patients, I want them to leave with the confidence that anything that was their need, we tried to meet it, because nothing is too much trouble when you’re trying to take care of somebody. That is how I try to approach every day.”
Photography by Paul Nordmann
Neurology/ Psychology/ Behavioral Health
John Gransbach
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Gransbach works as a staff educator in the pediatric behavioral unit at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where he teaches staff about de-escalation and empathic communication. In addition to supporting his team, Gransbach provides exceptional care to patients and allows them space to process and heal, notes a colleague: “John’s above-and-beyond moments revolve around his ability to walk the walk. He is non-judgmental in his approach and sets a great standard.”
On the challenge of COVID: “With COVID-19, there’s been an increase in not only admissions but also with people experiencing different kinds of feelings, like social isolation and economic uncertainty. A lot of kids need a routine, and when you break that routine, it’s really hard for them..”
Advice to new nurses: “We start every shift with what we call a mindful minute. I think it’s important to remember to have an outlet to get rid of negative energy and keep functioning at a higher level.”
Orthopedics
Melissa Eagan
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Eagan’s daily routine involves meeting with children and their families to talk through diagnosis and treatment plans, usually for injury and trauma. Understanding that families may be anxious, Eagan takes time to thoroughly explain the procedures. She also sometimes takes on extra responsibilities to help patients. Eagan worked long hours, for instance, to help a patient who’d been waiting months for a surgery. “Because of Melissa’s professionalism and dedication to their child,” notes a colleague, “they were finally able to see the light.”
On what makes nursing meaningful: “Nursing is so much more than medicine. It’s [also about] connecting with patients and their families. I have an opportunity every day to change someone’s life. Something so small to me can mean the world for someone else.”
Selection Committee
Following a call for nominations last fall, a prestigious panel of judges scored the submissions. The 2021 selection committee included:
- Miki Goodwin, Assistant dean for clinical practice, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
- Debra Harrison, Executive coach, MEDI; former chief nursing officer, Mayo Clinic
- Lola Denise Jefferson, First vice president, National Black Nurses Association
- Brigit VanGraafeiland, Assistant professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
- Phyllis Zimmer, Founder, Nurse Practitioner Healthcare Foundation
- Carli Zegers, Assistant professor, University of Missouri–Kansas City
While all of the nominees had outstanding backgrounds in their field, the panel helped select 60 exceptional finalists across 18 categories.
Honorees
ACUTE CARE/FAMILY PRACTICE
Jade Bland SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Alecia Welscher Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Susan Willenbrock The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis
ADMINISTRATION
Cherie Blaesing Mercy Hospital South
Paula Goldberg Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Siteman Cancer Center
Pierre Smith Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Rachael Snyders BJC HealthCare
ADVANCED PRACTICE
Julia Huck St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Whitney Jones BJC HealthCare, Parkland Health Center
Robyn Myers Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
CARDIOVASCULAR
Patricia Nieters Washington University School of Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Nichole Russell SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
COMMUNITY CARE/AMBULATORY CARE
Deborah Horton Saint Louis University School of Nursing
Christine Hinden St. Luke’s Hospital
Karen Lukens SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital
Donna Smith-Pupillo Deaconess Faith Community Nurse Ministries
EDUCATOR
Nicole Magers St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Cynthia Rubbelke Saint Louis University School of Nursing
Sarah Weyhrich St. Louis Children’s Hospital
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Kelly Hilker SSM Health DePaul Hospital
Jennifer Lappe St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Michelle Parmentier SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Kayla Sommer St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Jessica Zurmuehlen St. Louis Children’s Hospital
EMERGING LEADER
Kevin Crocker Mercy Hospital South
Kirsten Nulsen SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Mike Sidwell SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
HOSPICE/HOME HEALTH/PALLIATIVE CARE
Shanika Pruitt Beauvais Manor, Mercy Hospital South
Christy Stellhorn Mercy Hospital South, De Greeff Hospice House
Deneen White BJC Hospice
INTENSIVE CARE
Michelle Mendonsa St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Bridget Stubbs Mercy Hospital South
Laura Watson St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Patricia Wilkinson Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes-Jewish Hospital
MEDICAL-SURGICAL NURSING
Ryan Boyer Mercy Hospital South
Brooke Fuehne SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Sarah Johnson SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
Amy Long SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital–Lake Saint Louis
NEUROLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
John Gransbach St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Margaret Kavanaugh SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
Gail Wanner SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital
ONCOLOGY
Denise Dickey Washington University School of Medicine
Marsha Fey SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital
Barbara Ricken St. Louis Children’s Hospital
ORTHOPEDICS
Kim Cordia Washington University School of Medicine
Melissa Eagan Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Sarah Kozak Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Unity Hospice & Palliative Care
Angela LeMarr SSM Health Orthopedics
PEDIATRICS: NEONATAL
Tammy Hayden Mercy Hospital Washington
Jean Hecht Nurses for Newborns
Tonya Hindersmann Mercy Hospital Washington
PEDIATRICS: NON-NEONATAL
Kira Geile St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Erin Schneider St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Julie Scovronski SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
RESEARCH
Amanda Criebaum SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
Jayne Hall Mercy Research
Pamela Harris Mercy Research
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Chandra Alsop Mercy Hospital Washington, Mercy Hospital Jefferson
Denise Côté-Arsenault Saint Louis University School of Nursing
Heather Hanratty Mercy Hospital Washington
