Duke University School of Nursing Alumni Awards
The Duke University School of Nursing recognizes distinguished alumni, faculty and friends for their significant contributions to the School and the nursing community at large.
Alumni Award Nominations
Now Open - October 1, 2024
A formal ceremony announcing the award recipients will be held Thursday, March 27, 2025.
Alumni Award Descriptions
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Awarded annually to an alumnus whose career contributions in nursing or health care have been distinctive for their impact and have been recognized regionally, nationally or internationally. Such contributions may include Leadership, Clinical Expertise, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, Evidence-Based Nursing Practice, Innovation in Health Care Delivery Systems, Health Care Policy and Innovative Uses of Clinical and/or Nursing Informatics.
Clinical Practice Excellence Award
To be awarded on occasion to an alumnus that has made a significant difference in nursing through their clinical practice.
Honorary Alumnus Award
To be awarded on occasion to an individual who is not an alumnus of the Duke School of Nursing but who has become a notable and important part of the School of Nursing family through long, dedicated and distinguished service.
Lifetime Achievement Award
To be awarded on occasion to an alumnus or faculty member for extraordinary leadership and accomplishments in the field of nursing.
Humanitarian Award
To be awarded on occasion to an alumnus or faculty member for lifelong service to society.
Trailblazer Award
To be awarded on occasion to an alumnus who demonstrates excellence in their clinical field within three years or less of completing their Duke education.
Distinguished Service Award
To be awarded on occasion to an individual for outstanding volunteer service and/or fundraising efforts on behalf of the Duke University School of Nursing.
2023 Alumni Award Recipients
We are proud to recognize the outstanding recipients of our Alumni Awards:
Ashley Clair Batts DNP, MSN’18, BSN, BS
Batts began her career in health care in bereavement services in Wilmington. She spent time as a certified nurse assistant at New Hanover Regional Medical Center (now NOVANT) before earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2018, Batts earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at Duke. Since her graduation from Duke, Batts has gone on to complete her Doctor of Nursing practice at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society as well as numerous professional nursing organizations. Batts gives back to her community and profession by serving as a graduate school clinical preceptor in Burgaw. She also participates in Novant’s weekly and monthly high-risk obstetrics/gynecology conferences that bring together OB/GYN residents and other fetal care specialists to discuss high-risk issues along with the most current evidence-based practices.
Annette Baker Hines PhD, MSN, BSN’84
A faculty member of Queens University of Charlotte since 2000, Hines graduated from Duke University School of Nursing in 1984. At Queens, Hines started as adjunct faculty and ultimately became tenured, most recently serving five years as chair for graduate studies and then five years as director of the Presbyterian School of Nursing before returning to her role as professor this year. Hines’ research focuses on health promotion in families with children with chronic disease, asthma as a health disparity, and teaching strategies in classroom and clinical settings.
Bimal R. Shah MD’01, MBA’01
Bimal Shah has been a devoted and passionate member of the School of Nursing’s Board of Visitors from 2014 to 2022, chairing the board for three years and currently serving as an emeritus member. Shah engaged in the school’s strategic plan and helped shepherd the research challenge. He is also a Dean’s Circle supporter to the School of Nursing. Shah has been an assistant consulting professor in the Department of Medicine since 2014. He earned his undergraduate degrees in economics and chemistry, graduating with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his MD and MBA concurrently from Duke in 2001. Shah completed his internal medicine residence at Stanford University followed by a general cardiology fellowship at Duke in 2009. He started the Duke Cardiology of Sanford clinic in 2009 and was still seeing patients there until last year.
Elaine Marie Gallagher PhD, MSN’76, BSN
Professor emeritus at the University of Victoria School of Nursing and adjunct professor in the gerontology program at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Elaine Gallagher is an international professional leader in understanding the relationship of people and their environments as they age, with a primary focus on falls prevention in the elderly. Her research in this area spans 20 years and has contributed significantly to policy and practice changes across Canada. Gallagher held a leadership role and was a founding member of the World Health Organization’s Age-friendly Cities initiative and served on the steering committee that developed the original protocol for this work. She led the research in Saanich, British Columbia, one of the first cities in the world to trial this community development project. Gallagher served as an adviser to a special task force in Washington, D.C., to develop a Medicare-funded fall assessment for physicians.
Sue Gower MSPH, BSN’80
Since her graduation from Duke’s Bachelor of Nursing Science program in 1980, Sue Gower has dedicated herself to improving the lives of others through her exceptional service and commitment. Gower knows firsthand the challenges of nursing, including workforce shortages, having served in many capacities over her four-decade career She was a hospital nurse, school nurse and county health department nurse, covering the states of New York, Vermont, and North Carolina. Gower joined the School of Nursing in 2021 as a clinical nurse instructor, and this year was awarded grant funding from the Duke Seed Office for her initiative to combat the nursing shortage by working on collaboration and mentorship between nursing faculty and clinical instructors. Gower is co-investigator on the project, “Mentoring Partnerships: Building Strength and Relationships Between Nursing Faculty and Clinical Instructors.” She is a dedicated humanitarian, having traveled twice to Haiti on medical missions, offering her skills with community building and health care.
Nikolas James Silva BSN’20, BS
After graduating in 2020 from Duke School of Nursing’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, Nikolas Silva took a position in a cardiology step-down unit at Duke University Hospital, where he developed his skills and knowledge as a clinical practitioner. But Silva found that he wanted to challenge himself even more. In 2021, he took a big leap: He commissioned into the U.S. Air Force, where he now serves as an active-duty medical-surgical nurse at the David U.S. Air Force Medical Center on Travis Air Force base in Fairfield, California.
