Four Winners Selected in PerfectServe’s 2026 Nurses of Note Awards Program

Winners are nurse leaders whose work focuses on mentorship for new nurses, neonatal care and education, and better perioperative care team communication

MIAMI, May 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PerfectServe®, a leading healthcare technology company specializing in unified clinical communication and provider scheduling solutions, today announced a new round of four winners for its annual Nurses of Note awards program. The program has recognized over 500 nurses since its inception in 2021, representing a multitude of care settings and nursing roles.

The theme for 2026 is nurse leadership, and honorees were selected across four categories:

Clinical Innovation & Impact Award
Kari Treadway, Educator | UW Health SwedishAmerican Hospital | Rockford, IL
Kari has been at SwedishAmerican Hospital for nearly 8 years, where she’s become a critical part of the organization’s neonatal care and education efforts. In her first role as Preceptor, she overhauled the NICU’s orientation program to improve readiness and retention for new nurses. In her current role as Educator, she spends much of her time with nurses at the bedside assisting with the care of critical babies, but she also serves as lead transport nurse and makes time to visit community hospitals to educate nurses and other staff about caring for critical neonates. Kari is also an NRP instructor and leads mock codes for her service line to ensure constant readiness. Her nominator said staff at SwedishAmerican Hospital consider Kari “their primary resource for all things Level III.”

Excellence in Patient-Centered Care Award
Brianna Watkins, Director, LDRP | Johnson Regional Medical Center | Clarksville, AR
As a rural facility with a Level 1 nursery, Johnson Regional Medical Center (JRMC) often had to transfer babies to Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), which is about two hours from their facility in Clarksville. In April 2025, Brianna, who goes by Bri, attended a seminar at ACH to learn more about their Nursery Alliance program. With this program, rural facilities can partner with ACH to receive remote guidance from neonatologists and NICU nurses, which allows more newborns to stay home instead of making the trek to Little Rock. Bri worked with ACH for nearly a year on certification, and JRMC officially became the seventh Nursery Alliance partner in the state of Arkansas on March 17, 2026. Her nominator said Bri’s “love for her patients and families, along with her vision, have been the driver for expanding care in rural Arkansas.”

Care Team Communication Award
Samantha Rovers, Clinical Nurse Manager | Newton-Wellesley Hospital | Newton, MA
In her role as a Clinical Nurse Manager at Mass General Brigham’s Newton-Wellesley Hospital, her nominator says Samantha Rovers has an “unwavering commitment to strengthening collaboration and improving communication across the perioperative team.” Among other proactive efforts to streamline communication, Samantha has introduced technology that allows real-time updates to be shared among the team, and she also led efforts to standardize handoff processes in preop. The collective impact of her influence is that critical information is shared in a clear and timely manner among nurses, providers, and support staff, which helps the team reduce misunderstandings and enhance surgical care. The key to her success? According to her nominator, Samantha “always talks to the staff closest to the patient to help solve bigger problems.”

Culture & Retention Award
Lynn Langan, Area Chief Nursing Officer | Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital | Johnson City, TN
Lynn serves as the Area Chief Nursing Officer for the Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital, which provides 24/7 nursing rehabilitation care. A trusted preceptor for new CNOs throughout the region, she is described as having an uncanny ability to infuse humor into the daily challenges that nursing brings to the table. Like any natural leader, she not only inspires her team, but consistently places the needs of her team, patients, and the communities they serve at the heart of every decision she makes. Her influence has shaped the next generation of nursing executives with grace and wisdom, and she instills an unwavering commitment to excellence. As her nominator says, Lynn “continues to elevate standards of care, inspire those she leads, and model what compassionate, people-centered leadership truly looks like.”

“I was completely bowled over by the quality and variety of this year’s nominees, and I couldn’t be happier to recognize a group of winners who so clearly love their jobs and do so much to positively impact their patients, their communities, and their colleagues,” said PerfectServe Chief Customer Officer & Chief Clinical Officer Kelly Conklin. “Reading their stories brought me right back to the hospital floor, and it reminded me that the heart of a nurse is equal parts compassionate and driven. Kari, Brianna, Samantha, and Lynn represent the very best of us, and it’s our distinct pleasure to shine a light on their work!”

Each of the winners will receive prizes including a gift card, additional cash to invest in their team, and they’ll also be featured in detailed profiles on the PerfectServe blog, which will be highlighted across the company’s social media channels.

To learn more about Nurses of Note, visit PerfectServe.com.

About PerfectServe
PerfectServe accelerates speed to care by optimizing provider schedules, streamlining clinical communication, and engaging patients and their families in the care experience. Our cloud-based software simplifies complex clinical workflows and schedules with secure and timely communication by dynamically routing messages to the right person at the right time. We drive more efficient care collaboration in all settings to improve patient outcomes and bring joy back to caregivers. PerfectServe has over 25 years of experience and is a trusted partner to more than 500 hospitals and 30,000 medical practices.

PerfectServe Contact:
Matt Kothe | Director, Corporate Marketing
865.776.9824
mkothe@perfectserve.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3a42b331-2462-49bf-8760-8ac24410cc52

Winners Announced for PerfectServe's 2026 Nurses of Note Awards Program

Four winners were announced for the sixth edition of PerfectServe's Nurses of Note awards program. The program started in 2021 and has recognized over 500 nurses for their exemplary work. For 2026, the focus was nurse leadership that inspires others.

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