DAISY and BEE Awards

"DAISY" is an acronym for "Diseases Attacking the Immune System". The DAISY Award was established by The DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, who died at 33 of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), an auto-immune disease. The Barnes Family was awestruck by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for Patrick, so they created this national award to say thank you to nurses everywhere.

For more information on The DAISY Award, visit the DAISY Foundation website here. 

"BEE" is an acronym for "Being Excellent Everyday" and this award program was adopted by UVA Health University Medical Center in May 2022 to symbolize the relationship between nursing and other members of the care team - the same way bees and flowers depend on one another. This special program recognizes excellence among the team members who work alongside our nursing teams delivering expert, compassionate care.

• The DAISY Award Committee is proud to honor two nurses from UVA Health each month with a DAISY Award, as well as two care team members each month for a BEE Award.
• Nominations may be submitted anytime by patients, patients' families, visitors, and fellow UVA team members.
• Our DAISY Award is a nursing-specific award created to honor extraordinary nursing care and is presented by our Chief Nursing Officer and DAISY Committee Chair as a surprise celebration on the recipient's unit. Award recipients will receive a framed certificate, a DAISY Honoree pin, and a “Healer’s Touch” sculpture, along with a copy of their nomination(s).
• The BEE Award mimics our DAISY Award in that each recipient also receives a surprise celebration in their practice area, presented by their area leader. Award recipients will receive a framed certificate, a BEE Honoree pin, and a honeycomb sculpture, along with a copy of their nomination(s).
• Nominees who meet eligibility criteria but are not chosen for the award will still receive unit-level recognition, as well as a nominee packet that includes a copy of their nomination(s), a nominee pin, and signed letter from a Chief level executive leader.

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DAISY Award Committee Leadership:
2025 Committee Chair: Crystal Richard, MSN, RN, CCRN
2025 Committee Vice Chair: Anthony Mallory, BSN, RN, CPAN

BEE Award Committee Leadership:
2025 Committee Chair: Justus Bell
2025 Committee Vice Chair: Samantha Shifflett

If you have any questions about the DAISY or BEE Awards, please email NPGO@uvahealth.org

If you wish to mail in a written nomination, print this form, and send to:

*Previous recipients from 2015-2024 can be found here.

2024 DAISY Nurse Leader Award

• Jennifer Killmer, MSN, RN, CCRN, Nurse Manager, Cardiac Catheterization Lab

2024 DAISY Team Award

• Sarah Bast, RN Clinician 2, Pediatric Emergency Department 
• Andria Jack-Springer, RN Clinician 3, Operating Room
• Dr. Sandra Kabagambe, Assistant Professor, Pediatric Surgery 
• Alexandra Lohn, RN Clinician 2, Perianesthesia Main

January 2025:

• Wilmer Hernandez, RN Clinician 1, 5 West  
• Kira Long, Inpatient Charge Nurse, 3 Central

February 2025:

• Andrea D Williams, RN Clinician 2, Pediatric ED
• Carley Knuckles, RN Clinician 2, Acute Oncology

March 2025:

• Morgan Stewart, RN Clinician 2, 3 Central
• Gui Ping Li, RN Clinician 2, 7 Acute  

*Previous recipients from 2022-2024 can be found here.

January 2025:

• Jennifer Emanuel, Clinical Social Worker- ED, LCSW, Social Work
• Zay Foster, Patient Companion, Staffing Resource Office  

February 2025:

• Quentin Fridley, Patient Companion, Staffing Resource Office
• Tammy Waugh, Access Assocaite, Peri-Operative Services

March 2025:

• Taliyah Ferreira, CNA, 6 West