nightingale, nursing, awards, christopher Coleman, nurses
May 5, 2025
Oakland University’s School of Nursing and its Board of Visitors have announced the 2025 Nightingale Award winners and runners-up.
This year’s top nurses in Michigan come from a variety of clinical roles and settings and are recognized as exceptional in the health care field.
This year’s Nightingale Awards Ceremony will honor 10 winners and 10 runners-up in 9 different nursing categories. Awardees are nominated by their peers and supervisors and recognized as exceptional in their nursing roles in both clinical and nonclinical settings.
Oakland University School of Nursing will host this annual celebration of nursing, during National Nurses Week on May 7, 2025.
Thanks to the support from Presenting Sponsor Henry Ford Health, along with the other generous sponsors, individual donations and support from the School of Nursing Board of Visitors, The Nightingale Awards provides future nurses with scholarships, including the Nightingale Legacy Scholarship. This endowed scholarship will be awarded annually to nursing students who display the pioneering spirit of Florence Nightingale.
“We’re deeply committed to our mission of educating and empowering the next generation of Michigan nurses,” said OU School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Christopher L. Coleman. “Nurses who embody the resilience of Florence Nightingale and bring innovation, passion, and purpose to transforming healthcare.”
The Nightingale Awards Ceremony will be on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in the Oakland Center Ballrooms, on Oakland University’s main campus in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Each Nightingale Award winner receives a check for $1,000, a solid bronze statue of Florence Nightingale and a Nightingale pin. Runners-up receive a commemorative plaque.
For more information on the event or to purchase tickets to attend the event, please contact Kristen Damiano in OU School of Nursing at (248) 364-8759 or by email at [email protected] or visit oakland.edu/nursing/nightingale.
2025 Nightingale Award Categories - Winners & Runners Up:
Excellence in Advanced Practice Nursing
Winner: Joanne Motiño Bailey, University of Michigan Health - Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI
Runner-Up: Shannon A. Brunt, University of Michigan Health, Farmington Hills, MI
Oakland University, School of Nursing Distinguished Alumni
Winner: Daniel Lara, Trinity Health, Canton, MI
Runner-Up: Mary Condon, Henry Ford Health, Washington, MI
Excellence in Education
Winner: Alyssa McCourt, Trinity Health, Wyoming, MI
Runner-Up: Jenni L. Hoffman, Eastern Michigan University School of Nursing, South Lyon, MI
Excellence in Nursing Leadership
Winner: Aisha Afana, Henry Ford Providence, Novi, MI
Runner-Up: Michael Burton, Trinity Health, Ortonville, MI
Excellence in Executive Administration
Winner: Jennifer Carpenter, Henry Ford Providence Hospitals, Waterford, MI
Runner-Up: Paul Schenk, Michigan Medicine, Dundee, MI
Nursing in the Community
Winner: Colleen J. Wojtala, Henry Ford Home Health Care, Trenton, MI
Runner-Up: Sheila Hare, Oakland County Health Division, White Lake, MI
Post-Acute Care & Specialty Nursing
Winner: Michaelene West, Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital, Troy, MI
Runner-Up: Charlotte Thornton, Populance/Henry Ford Health, Oak Park, MI
Staff Nurse
Winner: Jamie Rossetto, Michigan Medicine, Trauma Burn Intensive Care Unit, Fenton, MI
Winner: Jillian Skiba, Trinity Health, Saline, MI
Runner-Up: Tiffany Morelli, Corewell Health Beaumont Hospital, Troy, MI
Runner-Up: Meredith Fortney, Henry Ford Hospital, White Lake, MI
People’s Choice Award
Winner: Melinda “Mindi” Botterill, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI
Runner-Up: Erica Zsolcsak, Henry Ford Hospital, Romulus, MI