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    Featured Treatments For
    • Allergy and Immunology
    • Arthritis (Rheumatology)
    • Bariatrics (Weight Loss Surgery)
    • Cancer (Oncology)
    • Cardiac and Vascular
    • Concierge Medicine
    • Dentistry
    • Dermatology
    • Diabetes
    • Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT)
    • Emergency Care
    • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
    • Executive Physicals
    • Eye Care (Ophthalmology)
    • Fertility Center
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Genetics
    • Geriatrics
    • Hepatology
    • High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
    • Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Internal Medicine
    • Interventional Radiology
    • Lymphedema
    • Nephrology
    • Neurology
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopaedics
    • Pain Management and Palliative Care
    • Pediatrics
    • Physical and Occupational Therapy
    • Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    • Plastic Surgery
    • Primary Care
    • Psychiatry
    • Pulmonary Medicine
    • Radiology
    • Sleep Medicine
    • Sports Medicine Institute
    • Surgery
    • Transplant
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  • Nursing 2025 Annual Report
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Our Nursing Workforce

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« Back to Structural Empowerment
Nursing 2025 Annual Report
  • A Message from our Chief Nursing Officer
  • Transformational Leadership
    • Leading the Way: UHealth Becomes Florida’s First to Earn Magnet’s Highest Honor
    • Elevating Interdisciplinary Care Through Advanced Practice Providers
  • Structural Empowerment
    • Our Nursing Workforce
    • Building a Culture of Nursing Excellence
    • A Culture of Caring
    • Expanding Access to World-Class Care
  • Exemplary Professional Practice
    • Expanding Shared Governance to Elevate Our Nursing Practice
    • Fellowship Program Prepares Advanced Practice Providers for Real-World Oncology Care
    • Preparing the Next Generation of Nursing Excellence
    • Cultivating a Culture of Patient Safety
  • New Knowledge, Innovation, and Improvements
    • Posters, Presentations, and Publications
  • Empirical Outcomes
  • Community Engagement

Support the heart of our health system

Every day, UHealth nurses extend their impact far beyond the bedside, leading in research, education, and clinical excellence to advance our mission. Their work transforms the patient experience, improves outcomes, and defines the future of nursing.

Donate Today

What Our Nurses Are Saying (To Receive Treatment)

  • Strong Workforce Engagement: 90%+ proud to work at UHealth
  • Operational Readiness & Support: 90%+ have the tools and information to do their jobs well
  • Respectful Leadership & Work Environment: Nearly 9 in 10 feel respected and supported by leadership

Celebrating Our New Doctor of Nursing Practice Graduates

UHealth celebrates the growing number of nurses earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), one of the highest nursing degrees. DNP-prepared nurses advance the health system through leadership, evidence-based practice, and process improvement. Their achievements foster professional growth, strengthen the team, and elevate the quality and safety of patient care.

Congratulations to our dedicated nursing professionals who have earned this respected degree this year:

Sara Cabeza, DNP, APRN

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Inpatient Palliative Care
  • University of Miami Medical Group

Courtney Caputo, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Division of Hematology
  • University of Miami Medical Group

Janet Quintana, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

  • Director, Nursing, Executive Health/Executive Patient Services, Desai Sethi
  • University of Miami Medical Group

Mario Gomez Hernandez, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, RNFA

  • Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Department of Surgery
  • Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

DAISY Awards

The DAISY Foundation recognizes nurses whose compassion, clinical expertise, and unwavering commitment make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and their families.

March 2025

Jessica Teixeira, BSN, RN
Registered Nurse 2, 11 North
UHealth Tower

April 2025

Grissel Cofresi, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Registered Nurse 3, Perioperative Services
Sylvester at Doral

May 2025

Valeria Bombonato, BSN, RN
Registered Nurse 2, Neurocritical Care Unit
UHealth Tower

Team Award

Stem Cell Unit, Inpatient
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

July 2025

Nidal Qaad, MSN, APRN
Registered Nurse 3, Emergency Department
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

2025 Nurse of the Year Awards

Every year, UHealth nurses recognize their peers for the exemplary care and compassion they demonstrate through a nomination for a Nurse of the Year Award. Winners are acknowledged for the exemplary care they provide patients as well as the contributions they make to the profession of nursing. The individuals who earned this honor and continue to inspire their colleagues at UHealth and in our community are named below.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse of the Year

  • Terri Pollack, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
    Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Medical Oncology
    University of Miami Medical Group

Registered Nurse of the Year

  • Leslee Mecklem, BSN, RN, OCN
    Registered Nurse 2, Comprehensive Treatment Unit
    Sylvester at Deerfield

Licensed Practical Nurse of the Year

  • Dannel Rodriguez, ASN, LPN
    Licensed Practical Nurse
    UHealth at Walgreens

Certified Nursing Assistant/Medical Assistant of the Year

  • Senay Karakas, CNA
    Certified Nursing Assistant 2, Comprehensive Treatment Unit
    Sylvester at Deerfield Beach

Nurse Educator of the Year

  • Lelanie Alicea, MSN, RN, OCN
    Nurse Educator 2, Center of Clinical Excellence
    UHealth – University of Miami Health System

Preceptor of the Year

  • Barbara Possenriede, BSN, RN, OCN
    Registered Nurse 3, Comprehensive Treatment Unit
    Sylvester at Deerfield Beach

Mentor of the Year

  • Robert Deland, RN
    Registered Nurse (Per Diem), Emergency Department
    UHealth Tower

2025 Advanced Practice Provider of the Year Awards

Advanced Practice Provider Transformational Leader of the Year

  • Simran Shikh, MPA, MSL, APRN, PA-C
    Supervisor, Advanced Practice Provider, Endocrinology
    University of Miami Medical Group

Physician Assistant of the Year

  • Karen Hernandez, MCMSc, APRN
    APP Team Manager of Northern Satellites, Medical Oncology
    University of Miami Medical Group

Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist of the Year

  • Yilda Tejada, MSN, APRN, CRNA, BLS, ACLS, PALS
    Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Ambulatory Surgical Center
    Bascom Palmer at Naples

Ambulatory Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

  • Alexandra Ingram, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
    Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Neurology Movement Disorders
    University of Miami Medical Group

Inpatient Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

  • Benjamin Schlumbrecht, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN
    Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
    University of Miami Medical Group

Advanced Practice Provider Preceptor/Mentor of the Year

  • Abigail Ramontal, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, MHP
    Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Comprehensive Treatment Unit
    UHealth Solé Mia

Advanced Practice Provider of the Year

  • Maya Bloomberg, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC
    Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Hematology
    University of Miami Medical Group

Celebrating Our Retirees

We extend our deepest gratitude to our retirees, whose more than 210 collective years of service have left a legacy that will continue to shape patient care and the advancement of nursing practice across UHealth. We are proud to recognize the following colleagues:

Mary Miller, BSN, RN

Nurse Navigator 1, Site Disease Group Navigation Program
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Edward Henry, RN

Registered Nurse 3, Perioperative Services
UHealth Tower

Debora Geary, MSN, RN, OCN, CCRP

Clinical Research Nurse 3
Sylvester at Plantation

Tania Vega, RN

Registered Nurse 2, UPAC
Sylvester at Lennar

Marie-Gladys Louissaint, BSN, RN

Registered Nurse 2, Perioperative Services
UHealth Tower

Colleen Brennan-Doran, RN, OCN

Registered Nurse 2
Sylvester at Deerfield Beach

Ianthe Brown, BSN, RN, WCC, AMB-BC

Registered Nurse 2
Sylvester at Deerfield Beach

Emily Bree, BSN, RN

Registered Nurse 2
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

June Gordon-Mitchell, BSN, RN

Registered Nurse (Per Diem)
Sylvester at Deerfield Beach

Idohna Santiago, BSN, RN

Registered Nurse 2, 10 North
UHealth Tower

Vilma Rye, CNA

Certified Nursing Assistant 2, Comprehensive Treatment Unit Research
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

Lisa Rosen, MA

Scientific Writer 2, Center of Clinical Excellence
UHealth – University of Miami Health System

Maxine Manning, RN, OCN

Registered Nurse 2, 11 North
UHealth Tower

Cynthia Charles, RN, OCN

Registered Nurse 2, 11 North
UHealth Tower

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