NEF 2022-2023 Scholar Liaison Board Member, Annie George, PhD, Awarded NYC Health + Hospitals’ Nursing Excellence Leader

NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that Annie George, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, NPD-BC, CCRN-K, Senior Director of Nursing Excellence/Research is the recipient of the Press Ganey Nurse of the Year – Nurse Leader award. The inaugural award was presented this past February at Press Ganey’s HX23 Annual Human Experience event. Press Ganey is a leading provider of patient experience measurement and performance analytics for health care organizations. Dr. George was nominated by her peers for this award for her commitment to excellence and staff education as a nurse leader, empowering nurses to explore and share their thoughts, strengths and improvement ideas to better work environment and patient experience. She is responsible for all system wide research and nursing excellence initiatives, and has been with the health system since 2013.

“I am extremely grateful for this honor because quality and the patient experience are very close to my heart,” said Dr. George. “I truly believe that passionate and engaged nurse leaders inspire, motivate, and empower nurses to be the best at what they do. I am proud to be a nurse leader at NYC Health + Hospitals, representing more than 10,000 nurses and other nurse leaders who are fostering a better health care environment for all.”

“I am thrilled that Dr. George is receiving this illustrious honor. She is an incredible asset to our team in the Office of Patient-Centered Care,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Dr. George is one of the key players conceptualizing and optimizing our strategic systemwide process improvements in nursing, and she has made a substantial contribution to our nursing excellence and research efforts. This remarkable achievement is one more expression of our continuing commitment to professional practice and nursing excellence.”

“I’m humbled to be able to offer my congratulations to the professionals we honor this year. These honorees exemplify the excellence, resilience, and spirit needed to enhance and enrich the human experience of healthcare,” said Patrick T. Ryan, Executive Chairman, Press Ganey. “Each of them has a unique story of committed and compassionate leadership that inspires their teams and colleagues, encourages their patients, and makes the communities they serve a better place to work and live every day.”

“It was such an honor to be able to recognize Dr. George’s incredible contributions to NYC Health + Hospitals and the nursing profession at large at HX23,” said Jeff Doucette, Chief Nursing Officer at Press Ganey. “Annie was selected for this prestigious award for her tireless leadership in improving the everyday experience of both nurses and patients. As a champion of nurse education, patient safety, and quality of care, she’s an inspiration to healthcare professionals everywhere.”

Dr. George is responsible for all systemwide research and nursing excellence initiatives, including assisting two of our acute care facilities to achieve the coveted Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center: NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County in October 2022, and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health in November 2022. This year, Dr. George also assisted five units with achieving the prestigious Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical Care-Care Nurses (AACN): NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) received gold-level Beacon Awards; NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst’s Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) received silver-level Beacon Awards and NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) received gold-level Beacon Award.