Honors for Nursing
Honors for Nursing is the only event of its kind that brings nurses together from around the state of Utah to celebrate one another's accomplishments. It is an annual event held each spring during National Nurses Week in conjunction with Florence Nightingale's birthday. It is hosted by the University of Utah College of Nursing Alumni Association.
Recognizing Utah’s Nurses for Over 20 Years
Honors for Nursing began in 1994 as a small gathering of honorees in the College of Nursing lobby. Thanks to the generous support of past sponsors such as University of Utah Health Care, Intermountain Healthcare, IASIS, MountainStar Healthcare, Zions Bank, Energy Solutions, and many others the event has grown every year. Now several hundred nurses are honored each year.
The event raises scholarship funds for students at the University of Utah's College of Nursing. In this way, Honors for Nursing uniquely supports present and future nurses in Utah.
*The College of Nursing is no longer organizing Honors For Nursing.
Dare to Care Award
The Dare to Care Award is presented to a nurse who, through volunteerism, advocacy, or other community work has gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the lives of others.
Embodying the Ideals of the Nursing Profession
Since 1994, the University of Utah College of Nursing Alumni Association has hosted Honors for Nursing, a regional celebration of nursing in conjunction with National Nurses Week. In addition to recognizing nurses who will be honored by their peers and grateful patients and patient families, the College of Nursing Alumni Association also presents their Dare to Care Award to a nurse who represents the values of nursing in service to the community.
Over the years, award recipients have included both individuals and organizations. All were chosen to receive the Dare to Care Award because they embodied the ideals of the nursing profession, however not all have been nurses or nursing organizations. Beginning in 2012, in order to be considered for the Dare to Care Award, a nominee must be a nurse.
*The College of Nursing is no longer organizing the Dare to Care Award.
Past Dare to Care Award Recipients
2019 - Jenneth Beloy Doria, DNP, MS, RN, driven to give back to the country of her birth, the Philippines.
2018 - Alex Wubbels, RN, after a traumatic encounter with a police officer worked to advocate for system policy changes and workplace safety measures that will protect nurses on the job.
2017 - Jeanlee Carver, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Dedicated her career to helping abused children with CJC programs.
2016 - Ann Hutton, PhD, APRN, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse, co-founder Utah Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
2015 - Ronda Miller-Ernest, DNP, APRN, PNP-BC, Family Nurse Practitioner, founder Education for Generations.
2014 - Dianne Fuller, founding director, Salt Lake Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SL SANE).
2013 - Chris Chytraus, RN, CPM, for founding The Sharing Place, a grief support program for children, teens, and their families.
2012 - Jan Jones Schenk for developing and implementing Utah's first hospital-based clinical privileging system for advanced practice registered nurses.
2011 – Judy Zone for establishing Youthlinc, a service organization dedicated to creating lifetime humanitarians by connecting young people with service learning experiences in their local community and abroad.
2010 - Lisa Bagley for helping to found medical rehabilitation non-profit Healing Hands for Haiti.
2009 - Khosrow Semnani for establishing the Maliheh Free Clinic, which delivers free health care to uninsured Utahns.
2008 - The Ronald McDonald House Charities for providing low cost housing to parents of very sick children.
2007 - Pamela Atkinson for her work as an advocate for the homeless.
2006 - Sue Huether for her commitment to all nurses and the nursing profession for over 40 years.
2005 - Joyce Harris for her many contributions to the profession of nursing and the community.
2004 - The YWCA for providing programs in women’s health and safety.
2003 - Junior League of Salt Lake City for contributing to community health programs.
2002 - Senator Karen Hale for her support of health care in Utah.