Accolades and Rankings

John Catania, a student at Grand Canyon University has been nominated for a DAISY Award, a national honor that recognizes extraordinary nurses. He is currently pursuing his master’s to become an acute care nurse practitioner. Catania knew he had found his passion and his purpose after working in the ICU, helping those in need.

Tess Ventura was named Advanced Practice Registered Nurse of the Year by the I-Help Foundation while earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice here at GCU. She said she shares this award with all those who helped her get to where she is today, including fellow nurses, leaders and GCU.

Deborah Mathias MSN, RN, while earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice here at GCU, wrote about “Improving Patient Safety by Easing Caregiver Burden.” Her paper was published in Nursing 2019, the peer reviewed journal of clinical excellence. She explains “the psychological impact of providing end-of-life care for a loved one and offers tools to assess and alleviate caregiver burden.” The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions (CONHCP) is proud of Mathias and her effort to give insight to those caring for patients and loved ones.

Jean Cheek, a forensic nurse examiner at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System has been nominated for a Magnet Excellence in Clinical Research award. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at GCU. Cheek, credits GCU with the skills needed to be a better nurse, leading her toward this honorary nomination.

Nowman Karram, an online GCU nursing student, won the DAISY (Diseases Attacking the Immune System) Award. This award is bestowed on nurses who help create an environment of compassion and kindness within patient care. Karram hopes to move in to research or nursing education upon his graduation from GCU’s MSN-Ed program.