2023 College of Nursing Award Recipients
Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award
Jennifer Burdick Minhas, Nurs ’89
San Diego, Calif.
Jennifer Minhas may have officially retired from her job as a nurse educator at Seattle Children’s Hospital, but she still sees work to be done. During her 33-year career in nursing, Jennifer held clinical, managerial and nursing professional development roles in pediatrics, caring for the most vulnerable patients. She plans to continue serving others by mentoring new nurses and nursing students as they navigate launching their careers.
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Professional Achievement Award
Dr. Chris Winkelman, Nurs ’77
University Heights, Ohio
When reflecting on her more than 40 years in nursing, Dr. Chris Winkelman doesn’t like to talk about how she helps her patients and students, but rather how they have helped her. She says, “Patients inspire me to learn, teach and strive for optimal outcomes. My students are amazing. I learn so much from their focus, questions, and engagement in learning.” As an associate professor in the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, Chris has found a fulfilling career balance in the interaction between practice, education, and research.
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Service Award
Ann Wagner Kolshak, Nurs ’79
Atlanta, Ga.
When Ann Kolshak learned she was receiving an award for service, she was speechless. She feels what she does is ordinary and that everyone should live their lives helping others. Ann’s service is, however, extraordinary — she gives back to people and enables them to pay it forward through her educational nonprofit organization, The Cape Scholars.
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Young Alumna of the Year Award
Ellen C. Carlson, Nurs ’11
Saint Louis, Mo.
Receiving a complicated medical diagnosis can feel like an emotional roller coaster. That’s where Ellen Carlson comes in. As a nurse practitioner in heart and vascular services for Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, she has a gift for comforting patients while explaining what’s happening to them in terms they can understand.
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