Contact

Duke Health News

919-660-1306

DURHAM, N.C. -- Six nurses from the Duke University Health
System were named to the 2006 list of the "Great 100
Nurses."

This award is given annually by The Great 100, a statewide
peer recognition organization, to 100 North Carolina nurses who
demonstrate excellence and commitment to their profession.

The recipients from Duke are: Mary Ann Fuchs, chief nursing
and patient care services officer, Duke University Health
System (DUHS) and Duke University Hospital; Debra Hernandez,
chief nursing officer, Durham Regional Hospital; Nancy Short,
assistant dean and assistant professor, Duke University School
of Nursing; Jane Mericle, clinical operations director,
children's critical care, Duke University Hospital; Kerry
Harwood, oncology clinical nurse specialist, Duke University
Hospital; and Joanna Smothers, clinical nurse level III,
telemetry, Duke Health Raleigh Hospital.

These nurses will be honored, along with the other
recipients, during a black-tie gala Oct. 7 at the Joseph S.
Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

"This award is further recognition of the excellence of Duke
nursing and our outstanding nursing leadership," said William
Fulkerson, M.D., chief executive officer of Duke University
Hospital and chief medical officer for the hospital and Private
Diagnostic Clinic.

Fuchs oversees the 5,800 DUHS nurses and leads DUHS Friends
of Nursing, a philanthropic program that provides direct
resources to nurses' ongoing development and supports annual
excellence award stipends. She also led the recent effort for
Duke University Hospital to achieve Magnet Status from the
American Nurses Association. She is also a Robert Wood Johnson
Executive Nurse Fellow and serves as the elected N.C. Nurse
Administrator to the N.C. Board of Nursing.

Hernandez collaborated with nurse leaders to develop a
residency program fostering the early development and growth of
new graduates. She holds elected office in the American
Organization of Nurse Executives and is a board member for the
N.C. Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Short was one of seven Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health
Policy Fellows in 2004-05 and the first Duke nurse ever to
receive the honor. She was recently appointed as a senior
research fellow in the Health Inequalities Program at Duke's
Center for Health Policy, Law and Management, part of the Terry
Sanford Institute of Public Policy.

Mericle is chair of Duke's Core Safety Team for Children's
Services and has served on other committees for nursing-led
initiatives, such as the Magnet Accreditation Team and the
Alaris Infusion Pump Implementation Team. In 2004, she
completed her master's of health science degree in clinical
leadership while managing her full-time responsibilities.

Harwood is director of Duke's Cancer Center Patient and
Family Education Program, and she created a monthly newsletter
that answers questions about living with cancer. She is also
the manager for Duke's advanced practice nurses, including
limb-loss nurse clinicians and brain tumor clinical nurses.

Smothers was a 2005 recipient of the Duke Health Raleigh
Hospital Champion of Service Award for exceptional performance
in attitude, professional presence, communication,
confidentiality and environment. Before joining DUHS in 2002,
she worked for 10 years at High Point Regional Hospital.