{"id":245244,"date":"2026-05-04T08:45:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=245244"},"modified":"2026-05-04T09:27:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T13:27:59","slug":"uconn-health-celebrates-its-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/05\/uconn-health-celebrates-its-nurses\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Health Celebrates Its Nurses"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UConn Health lights up red for Nurses Week 2026. (Photo by Dorothy Linnhoff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UConn Health is celebrating Nurses Week May 3-9, recognizing its more than 1,200 nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists in 30 different roles across the institution.<\/p>\n

Among them, six are winners of a 2026 Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing, which recognizes nurses\u2019 impact on patient care and their profession, and is considered one of the most prestigious honors in nursing.<\/p>\n

\u201cChoosing our Nightingale nurses is one of the most challenging and at the same time most rewarding tasks,\u201d says Caryl Ryan, chief nursing officer and the UConn John Dempsey Hospital chief operating officer and vice president for quality and patient care services. \u201cThat is because we have so many outstanding nurses and we only can honor six of them in this way each year. This year we had 34 nominees, and every one of them exemplifies the unparalleled commitment that our nurses have to their patients and their profession. Our nurses are instrumental in the institution-wide efforts that elevate our quality and patient safety year after year. Nurses Week is always such an extremely proud time for me, and I am so fortunate and grateful to work with such an incredible group of dedicated clinicians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florence Nightingale, widely credited as the founder of modern nursing, was born May 12, 1820, and Nurses Week is generally observed within a week of her birthday.<\/p>\n

As part of its Nurses Week celebration, UConn Health invites colleagues to leave notes and share photos on a virtual gratitude wall<\/a>. This year\u2019s theme is \u201cTeamwork\/ Power of Nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n

UConn Health\u2019s 2026 Nightingale Nurses<\/h2>\n

Kristen Cannata<\/strong>, MSN, RN
\nHeart Failure Program Coordinator, Clinical Effectiveness & Quality<\/p>\n