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On April 10, 2026, alumni gathered for a memorable reunion ceremony to honor the outstanding achievements of this year’s award recipients. The 2025 Alumni Awards celebrated individuals whose dedication, impact, and leadership have made a lasting impression on our community.

“Their contributions to clinical practice, research, social impact, education, and community service remind us that nursing leadership takes many forms, all essential to advancing healthcare for all,” said Dean Michael V. Relf. “These honorees serve as inspiring examples of what can be achieved when compassion, expertise, and passion come together to create meaningful impact.”

The six honorees represent the best of ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing, and range from a leader in the field of health informatics to a nurse who put humanity first in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. The six honorees represent the best of ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing. We invite you to learn more about each of these remarkable individuals as we share their stories below.

Clinical Practice Award – Hannah J. Dodson, DNP’15, BSN’11

Dr. Hannah Dodson is a nurse practitioner, educator, and informatics leader whose work transforms the delivery of complex chronic care by combining bedside excellence with advanced analytics to improve patient outcomes significantly. A two-time ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing graduate (BSN ’11; DNP ’15 with advanced certification in health informatics) and a Vanderbilt-trained Family Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Dodson has spent over twenty years designing tech-enabled, nurse-led models that prioritize patient goals while reducing avoidable utilization across populations.

Her career started in direct patient care, where she learned the daily realities of managing multi-morbid chronic diseases: how symptoms build up, how social factors increase risk, and how healthcare systems can unintentionally make complexity worse. Dr. Dodson’s early understanding was not just clinical; it was structural: the best care needs teams equipped with timely data, effective workflows, and shared decision-making that patients see as their own. She earned a DNP and gained formal training in informatics with a clear goal: redesign care so nurses can intervene sooner, patients can participate more fully, and outcomes improve for the right reasons.

Across regional systems and multi-state programs, Dr. Dodson has pioneered AI-supported chronic care management that integrates predictive analytics with nursing assessment and escalations. Think wearable and remote metrics paired with risk flags; think nurse-driven interventions that happen days earlier than they used to; think hospitalizations avoided because someone trained to notice the small changes acted on them in time. Her models have supported more than 100,000 high-risk beneficiaries and are associated with dramatic reductions in readmissions and acute events among engaged members, results that moved from pilots to operations without losing their patient-centered core.

Dr. Dodson’s leadership is clearly seen in Leadline Wellness, the precision health and lifestyle platform she created to combine behavioral health, resilience training, and chronic disease management. Her approach to service is based on nursing values, education, partnership, and empathy, supported by smart data and coaching. It’s care that doesn’t stop after discharge instructions; it continues through daily choices with clinical support alongside them.

The core story behind the data remains consistent: patients become more engaged when their goals are part of their care plan; nurses feel more confident when they know the next right step, supported by evidence and a team. Dr. Dodson has shared her applied research across the country, received the Vanderbilt University Award for Innovation in Health Care, the Press Ganey Excellence Award for clinical quality and engagement, and is recognized regionally as a health and wellness advocate who links outcomes to empathy rather than replacing one with the other.

As a clinical assistant professor at UNC, she has mentored master’s and doctoral candidates to excel in data-rich environments while maintaining the core principles of nursing. Her students and mentees report increased confidence, improved clinical judgment, and better communication—the kind of growth that transforms not just visits but entire careers.

Under Dr. Dodson’s guidance, clinical practice stands out as measurable and memorable: a smarter approach, quicker interventions, a patient who sees themselves in their plan, and an advanced practice nurse who knows exactly how to help.

Trailblazer Award – Ashakie Phillips, DNP’19, MSN’17, PHMNP’25

Dr. Ashakie Phillips is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner, innovator, and advocate whose work sits at the leading edge of behavioral health, addiction treatment, HIV prevention, and health equity. A proud graduate of ɫ��ֱ��, Dr. Phillips has built a practice defined by courage, clarity, and deep compassion—meeting patients where they are and proving that nurse led models can dismantle barriers to care for communities historically excluded from traditional health systems.

From the earliest days of their career, Dr. Phillips has insisted that clinical excellence must be inseparable from justice. Trained in both psychiatric–mental health and family practice, they learned to bridge disciplines in real time: to treat a panic attack and an HIV exposure with equal urgency, to consider a patient’s housing insecurity alongside their medication list, and to make clinical decisions informed by evidence but grounded in the realities people live. This approach—rigorous, relational, and trauma informed—became the through line of a career dedicated to designing systems around those most harmed by existing ones.

Today, Dr. Phillips serves with the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Behavioral Health Access and Engagement Model (BEAM) as a “First Call” psychiatric provider on a low barrier telemedicine line for medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). In practical terms, this means radically faster access: same day psychiatric assessment and treatment initiation for individuals navigating opioid use disorder, trauma, and co occurring mental illness. In moral terms, it means a model explicitly designed to eliminate stigma and the “prove your worth” hurdles that keep people out of care. As workflows, safety protocols, and culturally responsive practices took shape, Dr. Phillips helped turn BEAM into a replicable public health solution—one that prioritizes responsiveness, equity, and measurable impact.

Dr. Phillips’s leadership in HIV prevention is similarly transformative. As an AAHIVS certified HIV specialist, they have expanded PrEP and post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) access across safety net systems, designed EMR templates and provider education that make prescribing easier and safer, and led implementation of Tele PrEP and injectable CAB PrEP at scale. The impact is tangible: streamlined intake; patient centered protocols tailored to Black, LGBTQIA+, and system impacted communities; and more people protected with less friction.

Even as they lead inside major public health systems, Dr. Phillips also created Liberated Space—a multi state, clinician led telehealth practice grounded in Black liberation, queer resilience, and healing justice. Patients who have been told “no,” “wait,” or “prove it” elsewhere find care designed around their lives: integrated psychiatric and primary care; language that affirms rather than pathologizes; bridges to housing, harm reduction tools, and social support; and a clinical relationship anchored in dignity. For nurses, Liberated Space serves as a laboratory of accountable innovation: what happens when we remove barriers, redesign workflows with community voices, and measure success not only in clinical outcomes but in trust restored. Throughout, Dr. Phillips mentors interdisciplinary teams and coaches nurse practitioners in high volume safety net environments—standardizing equitable workflows, embedding trauma informed practices, and modeling how to carry both urgency and kindness into every encounter. Their work accelerates access, improves outcomes, and changes how public health systems understand “patient readiness”: not as a hoop to jump through, but as the result of care delivered without shame.

If the Trailblazer Award recognizes leaders who make new paths visible and usable for others, Dr. Ashakie Phillips is its living definition. They show that boldness in nursing is not just doing something new—it is building systems where people long excluded can finally walk in the front door.

Humanitarian Award – Caryl I. Weinberg, BSN’80

Caryl Weinberg’s career is a sustained, faith-rooted commitment to humanitarian service and global health. A ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing alumna, she has brought compassionate and culturally humble leadership to communities across Africa and the United States for more than four decades—building local capacity, elevating women’s leadership, and creating sustained partnerships and a living legacy.

After 16 years at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Ms. Weinberg followed a lifelong call to serve full-time in the mission field. In 1997, she relocated to rural Ethiopia, coordinating community health efforts and overseeing two remote clinics serving multiple villages. In places where supply chains were inconsistent and roads were sometimes more of an idea than reality, she learned that health systems are not only built on protocols and funding; they are built on trust and the daily faithfulness of local leaders.

Her humanitarian reach expanded through service as a Regional AIDS Consultant and liaison across Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and Niger. She worked alongside partner denominations and local clinicians to design evidence-based, contextually true HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care programs. Throughout, her guiding conviction was simple: sustainable impact means co-creating with those who will keep the work alive long after the first donor report is written.

Returning to the United States in 2007, Ms. Weinberg became Director of Missions at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston, steering local and international partnerships that address health, education, and family stability. She co-founded Tumekutana—meaning “we have come together”—a gathering of African Presbyterian and Reformed women leaders. What began with representation from 16 nations now includes women from 22 African countries, forming a fellowship of leaders who share training, encouragement, and practical strategies to strengthen ministries and communities.

Ms. Weinberg continues to serve on boards that translate compassion into governance and results: The Outreach Foundation, Community Network for Orphans Uganda, Learn to Earn (South Africa), and Family Life Development. Her work amplifies local voices, stewards resources, and insists that the measure of success is found in families who are thriving and children who see a future, knowing that anything is possible with God.

If humanitarianism is love organized for the good of the neighbor, Caryl’s life shows how nurses organize that love—quietly, persistently, and with joy. She exemplifies service before self, and in doing so, has made this world a better place.

Distinguished Alumnus Award – Edwin N. Aroke, MSN’11

Dr. Edwin Aroke is an internationally recognized nurse anesthesiologist, scientist, and academic leader whose work has advanced pain science, precision health, and equity in clinical practice. A ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing alumnus (MSN, Nurse Anesthesia), he completed his PhD focused on pharmacogenetics and established one of the nation’s few NIH R01funded programs led by a CRNA, studying how social experiences alter epigenetic pathways to drive aging and chronic pain disparities. His scholarship spans 60+ peer reviewed publications and is reshaping how clinicians understand, measure, and address inequities in pain.

At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Aroke rose rapidly to tenured professor, serving as Director of the PhD Program and currently as Interim Assistant Dean for Research and Scholarship. His leadership strengthens research infrastructure and opens doors for underrepresented students in nursing science—building pipelines where they did not exist, mentoring dozens of doctoral trainees, and translating evidence into implementation that changes lives.

In 2025, Dr. Aroke was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the AANA Journal, the flagship publication of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Under his stewardship the journal is sharpening methodological rigor, accelerating publication timelines, and foregrounding research that moves the discipline forward—particularly in implementation science and health equity.

Dr. Aroke’s commitment to service is global. As cofounder and president of the Association of Cameroonian Nurse Anesthetists in America (ACNAA), he helped establish the Association of Cameroon Nurse Anesthetists, secure the association’s registration with the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists, and launch the Cameroon Conference of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA)—training over a hundred providers and expanding surgical safety in resource-limited settings. Honors such as the International Society of Nurses in Genetics Founders’ Award, fellowships in the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, and the American Academy of Nursing reflect both the excellence of his scholarship and the generosity of his mentorship.

Even as the CV grows long, colleagues consistently name the same qualities: humility, passion, and service. Dr. Aroke continues clinical practice, volunteers extensively, and is a sought after speaker whose presence in a room raises both the bar and the hope of what nurses can do.

For ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing, Dr. Aroke is a living case study of impact: discovery that changes practice, leadership that multiplies talent, and service that widens access to safe, high-quality care.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Joan M. Stanley, BSN’71

Dr. Joan M. Stanley, PhD, NP, FAANP, FAAN, is one of the most influential nursing leaders of the past fifty years. Over a 54-year career spanning clinical practice, health policy, national consensus-building, and academic leadership, she has shaped the frameworks that determine how nurses are educated, regulated, and empowered to improve health outcomes in the United States and around the world. A proud ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing alumna, Dr. Stanley’s career reflects a strong commitment to advancing nursing as a profession rooted in excellence, access, equity, and public trust.

Dr. Stanley started her career after earning her BSN from ɫ��ֱ�� University in 1971 and working as a staff nurse and team leader at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore. She earned her Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate from the University of Maryland in 1974, becoming one of the earliest adult NPs in the country, and then obtained her MS in Nursing from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, in 1978. She later completed her PhD in Higher Education Policy and Organization at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1990. Her dissertation, 'Factors Affecting the Continuation Rate of Nurse Practitioner Programs Once Federal Funding Is Discontinued,' demonstrated her early dedication to strengthening the policy foundations of advanced practice nursing.

From 1972 to 1982, Dr. Stanley served as an Adult Primary Care Nurse Practitioner at the University of Maryland Hospital, where she was also the Associate Director of Primary Care Nursing Services (1979–1981). She held faculty positions at the University of Maryland School of Nursing—initially as an Instructor (1978–1980) and later as an Assistant Professor (1980–1982)—and maintained an adult primary care practice at the University of Maryland Health System from 1973 to 2018. During this period, she also guest lectured for the University of Maryland Schools of Nursing and Medicine. Throughout these roles, she authored numerous articles, chapters, monographs, and policy reports that contributed to shaping the profession’s evolving standards.

Her leadership extended to the national level through her work at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), where she served as Project Director (1991–1994), Director of Education Policy (1994–2004), Senior Director of Education Policy (2004–2016), and ultimately Chief Academic Officer until February 2026. Over more than three decades, she played a key role in developing The Essentials frameworks, most recently The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021), which formalized the profession’s shift to competency-based education and assessment. Her foresight covered emergency preparedness (post-9/11 competency development), interprofessional data sharing (a national vision for interoperability across education, practice, and regulation), and diagnostic competencies that acknowledge nursing’s contributions to reasoning and outcomes.

Dr. Stanley’s influence on advanced practice nursing is significant. In 1974, she established the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland (NPAM) and led efforts that made Maryland the first state to authorize private insurance reimbursement for NP services and to grant NPs the authority to diagnose and prescribe under their own signature with minimal physician oversight. These policy advances expanded access to high-quality, cost-effective care and set national standards.

Her most significant achievement is her leadership in developing the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation (Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Education). Over five years, she fostered sustained dialogue among 23 national organizations and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, helping to create a unified regulatory framework that aligns APRN education, certification, licensure, and accreditation. Endorsed by 48 national organizations in 2008, the model continues to guide the profession. To promote long-term implementation, she led the establishment of the APRN LACE Network, a coalition of 33 organizations that continues to embed the model into practice nationwide.

Equally transformative is Dr. Stanley’s leadership in the creation of the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) role, the first new nursing position introduced in over 35 years. Developed in response to increasing complexity in care delivery and gaps in care coordination, the CNL role redefined how master’s-prepared nurses serve as frontline clinical systems leaders. Dr. Stanley established educational standards, national certification, and an international organization to ensure sustainable growth. Today, more than 9,900 CNLs practice across the United States and in at least 4 other countries, enhancing nurse-sensitive outcomes, care transitions, and workforce retention in major health systems—including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Atrium Health, WellStar, AdventHealth, and Trinity Health.

Her honors include fellowships in the American Academy of Nursing and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, multiple citations from federal agencies and state legislatures, an honorary doctorate from SUNY Downstate Medical Center, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and, in 2025, the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Clinical Nurse Leader Association. Her decades of service at ɫ��ֱ��—advisory board member, chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, leader of the Nursing Alumni Council, and participant in the School’s inaugural Loyalty Circle—demonstrate a loyalty matched only by her impact.

Dr. Stanley’s legacy is not just a list of roles she held or policies she changed. It is evident in the millions of patients whose care improves because nurses are empowered to practice fully, in the thousands of APRNs who entered the profession with clear standards, and in the health systems where CNLs improve coordination and quality beyond expectations. For ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing, she exemplifies what it means to build a profession—and then leave it stronger than she found it.

Lifetime Achievement Award – Catherine L. Gilliss, BSN’71

Dr. Catherine Gilliss is a preeminent nurse scholar, dean, and mentor whose career has shaped family nursing, nursing education, and executive leadership for more than four decades. A distinguished ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing alumna, she reframed families as central units of analysis and care—authoring the landmark paper on the family as a unit of analysis and coediting foundational texts that helped catalyze interventions across chronic illness and family systems. Her program leadership secured major NIH funding for research and training, growing the field and the next generation of nurse scientists.

Across 28 years as dean at Yale, ɫ��ֱ��, and UCSF, Dr. Gilliss led strategic growth in doctoral education, translational research, and clinical integration. At ɫ��ֱ��, she strengthened academic–service partnerships, advanced implementation science within nursing, and helped set a national standard for how schools of nursing partner with health systems. At UCSF, she served as Styles Professor of Nursing and Associate Vice Chancellor for Nursing Affairs, later becoming Executive Director of the UCSF Leadership Institute, where she prepares executive leaders for roles in academic health centers. In each institution, her leadership was defined by the same qualities: scholarly rigor, organizational acumen, and a commitment to mentorship that turns talent into teams and teams into institutions.

Dr. Gilliss’s service to the profession is equally expansive. As President of the American Academy of Nursing and President of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, she helped shape policy environments that elevated the education, practice, and research of nursing nationally. Her honors include the Yale School of Nursing Medal, Distinguished Alumna Awards from both ɫ��ֱ�� and UCSF, and the ɫ��ֱ�� University Medal—the university’s highest honor for distinguished service—reflecting both her scholarly impact and institutional stewardship.

Her recent scholarship and leadership continue the arc: coauthoring Organizationally Minded Nursing Leadership and designing national courses for new and aspiring deans whose work will shape the next generation of academic nursing. Colleagues and former students describe a leader who is both exacting and kind, a scholar whose ideas carry weight because she has tested them in the real world, and a mentor who makes room at the table and then asks you to sit closer.

Dr. Gilliss’s legacy is visible in the curriculum nurses study, the research they conduct, the institutions they lead, and the patients and families whose care is better because nursing thinks in terms of people and systems at once. For ɫ��ֱ�� Nursing, her story is not only a past worth honoring—it is a future worth following.