Within the School of Nursing, we believe that our accomplishments are closely intertwined with the feats of our graduates. Their achievements in the realms of healthcare institutions, laboratories, educational settings, and even government offices truly mirror our success.
In recognition of the triumphs achieved by our alumni and their profound influence on the nursing vocation and the School of Nursing’s triumphs, we proudly present yearly alumni awards. These accolades serve to spotlight these exceptional nurses and nurse educators who stand as remarkable role models.
Cheryl Schmidt (PhD '99)
Distinguished Service Award
Dr. Schmidt has taught community health nursing to baccalaureate nursing students since 1975, at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI; University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND; Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH; the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing, Little Rock, AR, and now at Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ. She earned her nursing diploma in 1970 at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren, OH, her BSN in 1973 and Masters in Nursing in 1975 at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, and her PhD in Nursing in 1999 at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA.
Dr. Schmidt is a Certified Nurse Educator, a Fellow in the National League for Nursing’s Academy of Nursing Education, and a Fellow in the American Nurses Association Academy of Nursing. She has been actively involved with professional and community organizations for fifty-two years. She has served in leadership positions of the American Nurses Association (ANA) at the local, state and national levels, and has served as a consultant to the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) at the local, state and national levels, including a term as the ANA-appointed Consultant to the NSNA Board of Directors. Dr. Schmidt has been a volunteer nurse in the American Red Cross since 1974 and has taught disaster preparedness education to health care professionals, nursing students, and community members throughout the United States. Her research interests include disaster preparedness of nursing students. Her national study explored levels of preparedness, which revealed lack of preparedness, leading to increased emphasis on this topic at the National Student Nurses' Association. She co-authored the American Red Cross "Disaster Health and Sheltering" course, which has prepared more than 20,000 students throughout the U.S. to serve as volunteers in Red Cross disaster shelters.
Dr. Schmidt has received several awards related to her Red Cross work, including a regional Ann Magnussen Award, a Chapter-level Clara Barton Volunteer Leadership Honor Award, and the 2011 International Committee of the Red Cross Florence Nightingale Medal (one of four in the U.S. and 39 in the world that year). In 2014, she was selected as one of “100 Nursing and Healthcare Transformers” during the Ohio State University 100th Anniversary Gala. In 2023, Cheryl was selected as the Outstanding Alumna in Community Service at her 50th Anniversary of her BSN graduation from The Ohio State University. She recently learned that she will be receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing on September 21, 2024, while celebrating the 25th Anniversary of her PhD in Nursing graduation. She also serves as a member of the Research Committee of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC). The purpose of VEMEC is to "develop a vision for the future of disaster nursing; identify barriers and facilitators to achieving this vision; and, develop recommendations for nursing practice, education, policy and research." She is on the Expert Panel for the American Academy of Nursing’s Have You Ever Served Campaign, designed to educate healthcare providers and veterans about the health risks related to military service. She serves on the international Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Board of Directors.
Dr. Schmidt has co-authored three book chapters and several manuscripts related to her disaster preparedness work, and presented countless papers at local, state, regional, national and international levels. Dr. Schmidt is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, and a veteran of the 1991 Gulf War.
Ratsiri Thato (PhD '02)
Honorary Alumni Award
As the Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Thato has spearheaded significant reforms in nursing education, particularly within the master's and doctoral programs. Implementing an outcome-based education framework, she has meticulously revised the curricula to ensure alignment with contemporary healthcare demands. Dr. Thato has streamlined the thesis/dissertation process, fostering a conducive environment for research and facilitating timely graduation for students. Embracing the Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (EdPEx) framework, she has propelled her institution forward, achieving EdPEx200 accreditation within a remarkably short period.
Since assuming the deanship in 2021, Dr. Thato has witnessed a remarkable surge in enrollment, with the number of new master's and PhD students more than doubling from 40 to over 100 annually. This surge promises significant advancements in healthcare, benefiting both Thai citizens and global communities. Dr. Thato's commitment to enhancing the nursing profession extends internationally, with a particular focus on collaboration with PittNursing. Efforts encompass education, research, student exchange programs, and the establishment of visiting professorships. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two institutions is currently underway, fostering deeper ties and collaborative opportunities. Notably, Dr. Crago from PittNursing has already served as a co-advisor for one of Dr. Thato's PhD students, reflecting the fruitful collaboration between the two institutions.
Beyond her role at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Thato holds esteemed positions as the President of Phi Omega at-Large Chapter & Thailand Nursing Honor Society, and as an Executive Committee member of the East Asian Forum of Nursing Scholars (EAFONS). Under her leadership, these organizations have made significant strides in advancing the nursing profession. Dr. Thato has been instrumental in hosting the annual international conference, focusing on "Innovations in Nursing Research and Education for Global Health and Well-being," slated for June 24, 2024. Furthermore, she has played a pivotal role in organizing the EAFONS conferences in Tokyo (2023) and Hong Kong (2024), attracting a combined attendance of over 1,800 participants.
Recognizing the importance of international collaboration in enhancing global healthcare and nursing education, Dr. Thato has participated in a research project "Doctoral Nursing Education in the East Asian Region." Through this initiative, she aims to map, analyze, and improve the landscape of doctoral nursing education in Asia, ultimately contributing to the advancement of the nursing profession on a global scale.
Kathleen Lindell (BSN '82, MSN '87, PhD '07)
Distinguished Practice Award
Dr. Kathleen Oare Lindell, PhD, RN, ATSF, FAAN is an Associate Professor and the Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Health in the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing with a joint appointment in the College of Medicine. She is a graduate of the St. Francis General Hospital Professional School of Nursing (Diploma RN), and the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing [BSN, MSN (Pulmonary Specialty), and PhD].
Dr. Lindell worked at the Penn Lung Center as a Pulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist (PCNS) where she participated in development of evidence-based programs to advance the respiratory health of patients with lung disease ultimately impacting their ability to breathe. In 2000, she became the PCNS at the inaugural University of Pittsburgh Dorothy P. & Richard P. Simmons Center for Interstitial Lung Disease at UPMC where she led the patient education and support group for patients and their caregivers focused on improving their quality of life. After obtaining her PhD, she became the Executive Director of the SUPPORT program, received NIH, foundation, and intramural funding, and continued her research focus toward promoting palliative care knowledge and preparedness to improve the quality of life for patients with advanced lung disease, specifically Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) and their family caregivers.
As a result of her work, she developed a nurse-led palliative care intervention entitled “A Program of SUPPORT™” for patients with IPF and their caregivers and has advanced this to other advanced lung diseases, including progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) and advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This work resulted in 78 peer-reviewed publications and a book entitled Palliative Care in Lung Disease in 2021. Dr. Lindell is actively involved in the American Thoracic Society and the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), having served on both of their Board of Directors. At present, she is a member of the PFF Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee and the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre - Scientific Advisory Committee.
Her role as the Mary Swain Endowed Chair in Palliative Care Health is to advance and promote awareness of palliative care among healthcare professionals, students, patients and their caregivers, and the public, ultimately to improve quality of life for patients and families affected with serious illness.
Wendy Henderson
Distinguished Research Award
Kellie Antinori-Lent (BSN '86, MSN '07)
Distinguished Teaching Excellence Award
Kellie Antinori-Lent has been a nurse for over 38 years and a Certified Diabetes Educator/Diabetes Care & Education Specialist for 34 years. Although early on in her career, she was a liver and kidney transplant nurse at the Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh (now UPMC), that did not last long. She transferred to the hospital's General Clinical Research Unit, where the studies primarily focused on diabetes care and medications, including annual visits from patients participating in the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial. It was during those years that she believes she “found her calling.” She became a full-time diabetes educator at the UPMC Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology in 1990.
In the late 1990’s Kellie ventured into industry, working for both Bayer Pharmaceuticals as a Diabetes Sales Specialist and Disetronic Medical Systems, an insulin pump company, as a Territory Manager. Missing direct patient care, she returned to her hometown of Latrobe to become the manager of the diabetes program at Latrobe Area Hospital, now known as Excella Health. While there, she grew patient referrals 10-fold, developed the area’s only insulin pump program and support group, obtained American Diabetes Association (ADA) Recognition, and expanded the endocrine clinic services. In 2005, Kellie returned to UPMC as the Clinic Manager of the Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology. After completing her master’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, she moved to UPMC Shadyside, where she still works today as their Diabetes Clinical Nurse Specialist within the Nursing Education & Research Department. Kellie views this job as the perfect mix of patient care, education (patient and nursing), and quality improvement/research.
Kellie is board-certified as an adult clinical nurse specialist (ACNS-BC), board-certified in advanced diabetes management (BC-ADM), and certified as a diabetes care & education specialist (CDCES), formerly known as CDE. Kellie has been active at the local, state, and national levels with the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), now known as the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES). She was honored to serve on the ADCES Board of Directors from 2014—2021 and served as president in 2020. Kellie is a fellow of ADCES (FADCES), currently serving on the Greater Pittsburgh Diabetes Club board and the founding state board of the Pennsylvania Affiliate of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.
Adele Mannella (BSN '48, MLIT '51)
Lifetime Achievement Award
The life Adele Mannella knew as a young woman bore some striking similarities to the lives many of us live today. She had to wear a mask when venturing out of the house; healthcare workers were in high demand; and Pitt researchers were racing to find a cure for a global pandemic.
Mannella needed the mask to protect her from the smoke and soot belching from Pittsburgh’s steel mills; nurses and doctors were needed to replace peers helping the soldiers fighting World War II; and the race was on to find a cure for polio.
Mannella was valedictorian of her high school class and earned a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where she entered the nursing program in 1944. The nation was desperate for nurses, and Mannella’s small, tight-knit cohort of classmates was asked to go through the program as quickly as possible. That meant skipping summer breaks and beginning rotations in hospitals as soon as possible. Mannella and the others in her class were recruited to join the Cadet Nurse Corps. Each student was given $30 a month and a uniform in exchange for a promise to join the military upon graduation. The students rotated through several specialties including obstetrics at Magee Hospital, where Mannella worked overnight on a 25-bed open ward with just one supervising nurse and a doctor on call, and pediatrics at Pittsburgh Municipal Hospital, where she cared for polio patients.
Mannella worked closely with Sister Elizabeth Kenny, the Australian nurse who pioneered muscle rehabilitation procedures for polio patients that serve as the foundation for today’s physical therapy protocols. By the time Mannella graduated, the war was over, and she was excused from her military commitment. She went to work in the nursing school’s dean’s office in a role that would now be called Assistant Dean. By 1951 she had earned her master’s degree in psychiatric nursing. Mannella made substantial contributions to public health by creating and running Camden’s outpatient clinic for low-income residents. She was later recruited by Rutgers to launch the University’s South Campus student mental health clinic. It was the first time that Rutgers students could get behavioral health services in a private and confidential setting.
If you wish to submit any additional documents, you may attach them to the bottom of the form or email Taylor Andrekanic at tva4@pitt.edu