Joanne V. Pontier Scholarship
Scholarship
For Emergency Nurses and Graduate Study of Emergency Care, Research, and Education
TThe Joanne V. Pontier Scholarship was established in 2022 by Mary V. Insall with a generous donation of $50,000 to honor her cherished sister, a nurse who worked in the emergency department. The scholarship is devoted to emergency nurses interested in graduate study and nurses devoted to the study of emergency care, research, and education.
Joanne V. Pontier Scholars will create a lasting legacy influencing the future of emergency nursing practice and supporting emergency nurses to advance their careers and shape emergency care, save lives, and support families.
Featured Joanne V. Pontier Scholarship Recipients
The five graduate nursing students who have received this scholarship so far have already exhibited leadership qualities in emergency practice, education, research, and advocacy:
Kelsey Wilder
2026-2027 Winner | Master’s Degree
- Worked in Level I and Level III trauma centers as well as freestanding emergency departments
- Certified by the Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing
- Has mentored over 30 nursing students and served as a skills validator for medical school programs
- Served as a student advisory representative and maintained memberships in professional organizations such as the Emergency Nurses Association, the Society of Trauma Nurses, and the American Academy of Emergency Nurse Practitioners
Savanna Suydam, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A, PA-SANE
2025-2026 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Works as the Trauma and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Coordinator at Loyola Medicine MacNeal Hospital level, where she created and continues to oversee a large SANE on-call program that covers all hospitals in the Loyola Medicine system
- Trains and mentors sexual assault-certified nurses as an Emergency Nurses Association Trauma Nurse Core Course certified instructor, providing nurses with a foundation in trauma nursing and the ability to perform expert care for trauma patients
- Worked with the Illinois Attorney General's Office on educating and mentoring future forensic nurses across the state
Daniel Stanley
2024-2025 Winner | Doctoral Degree
- Worked as an RN in the Duke University Emergency Department (ED), the ED Assistant Nurse Manager at the Central Virginia VA Healthcare System, and the ED Nurse Manager for the Fayetteville NC VA Coastal Healthcare System
- Conducted a quality improvement project aimed to decrease door-to-disposition times in the ED and improve the accuracy of nursing triage assessments of patients presenting to the ED through an educational intervention
Kristen A. Mitchell, MSN, AGACNP-BC, CCRN
2023-2024 Winner | Master’s Degree
- Worked as an EMT-B at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, a level II trauma center, which ultimately led her to join the nursing field
- Created a live actor, mass casualty disaster simulation during her ABSN program with second-year medical students, which was offered for years to follow
- Worked in Duke University’s 32-bed Cardiothoracic ICU, serving a diverse, high-acuity patient population, and participated in hospital-wide, cutting-edge research
- Became a Research Nurse Coordinator for Duke University’s Anesthesiology unit
Audrey Arcari
2022-2023 Winner | Master’s Degree
- Selected for the NewYork-Presbyterian Cornell Emergency Department New Graduate RN Residency program, which consists of one year of specialized training in Emergency and Trauma care with rotations to the ICUs, burn units, and EMS
- Is a Certified Emergency Nurse and encourages excellence in her field by precepting nurses into new roles
- Became a Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner to learn more about the process in which victims are treated at the hospital and to serve as an advocate for those who have experienced emotional and physical trauma