Congratulations to the 2021 WSNA Recognition Award winners
We are proud to recognize and applaud these outstanding WSNA members with 2021 WSNA Recognition Awards. These outstanding nurses were nominated by you, their colleagues, for making Washington a healthier place.
September 15, 2021 • 15 minutes to read
This story was published in the Fall 2021 issue of The Washington Nurse.
Every two years, in conjunction with our biennial convention, WSNA and the Professional Nursing and Health Care Council (PNHCC) recognize nurses and community partners who have made significant personal and professional contributions toward the advancement of nurses, the nursing profession and the association. These outstanding nurses were nominated by you, their colleagues, for making Washington a healthier place.
We are proud to recognize and applaud these outstanding WSNA members with 2021 WSNA Recognition Awards.
Anne Hirsch, PhD, ARNP, FAANP, FAAN
Honorary Recognition Award
Honoring significant contributions, distinguished service or valuable assistance to the nursing profession.
Anne Hirsch is an associate professor in the Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing at the University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing, where she also serves as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Prior to joining UW, Anne served as a nurse educator and educational administrator for several Washington state schools and colleges of nursing, including Pacific Lutheran University (PLU), Washington State University and Seattle University. Anne was identified as a potential leader early in her career and never turned down the opportunity for challenge and growth. Her first administrative roles at PLU evolved from curriculum coordinator to assistant/associate dean and, finally, interim dean — when she left to assume the senior associate dean position at Washington State University (WSU). At WSU, she was responsible for the administration of all academic nursing programs at five sites/campuses across the state. In addition to her responsibilities as a full professor, she assumed the role of interim dean for one year before moving back to the Seattle area to be near family. Anne assumed the role of Associate Dean for Graduate Nursing Education at Seattle University; after six years, she accepted the position of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at UW.
Anne began her nursing career as a critical care and charge nurse at Island Hospital in Anacortes, where she served as local unit chairperson before moving to the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Providence Hospital in Seattle. She loves nursing practice — but once she tried teaching, she became a passionate nurse educator endeavoring to bring her practice knowledge and expertise into the classroom.
Anne earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from WSU; a master’s degree in physiological nursing from UW; a doctorate in nursing from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis; and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Seattle University. She also completed a post-graduate certificate as a family nurse practitioner and currently practices in primary care settings and shelters in the community.
Butch de Castro, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN, FAAN
Marguerite Cobb Public Health/Community Health Nurse Award
Honoring outstanding professional contributions to public health or community health, as well as calling these achievements to the attention of members of the profession and/or general public. This award is named for Marguerite Cobb, MN, RN, an exemplary public health nurse and 1998 Hall of Fame inductee.
Butch de Castro is a professor in the Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing at the UW School of Nursing, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Director of the Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing graduate training program. His research focuses on occupational health disparities, examining how employment opportunities, job conditions and work organization contribute to chronic stress and work-related injury and illness — particularly for immigrants and workers of color. He utilizes a variety of research approaches and methodologies, including longitudinal study design, biological markers, cross-cultural survey data and community participatory strategies. His teaching style applies a health equity and social determinants of health framework; incorporates problem-based learning; and includes community advocacy service projects through digital media.
Prior to joining UW, Butch was a post-doctoral fellow, funded by the CDC, at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health where he collaborated with community-based worker rights organizations to document how unfair, unjust treatment of workers led to poor health. During his early years in academia, he was a National Institutes of Health-funded KL2 Scholar with the Institute of Translational Health Sciences at UW. His research and teaching pursuits are informed by prior roles working for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s Office of Occupational Health Nursing; as Senior Staff for Occupational and Environmental Health at the American Nurses Association (ANA); and as a public health nurse with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.
Butch completed his doctorate and MSN/MPH degrees at Johns Hopkins University and his bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles. He currently serves on the King County Board of Health and has been a member of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, American Public Health Association, and Philippine Nurses Association of America.
Ingrid Anderson, BSN, RN, CEN, SANE
Joanna Boatman Staff Nurse Leadership Award
Honoring significant contributions to the advancement of staff nurses at the state or local level or the improvement of the economic and general welfare of nurses in Washington state. This award for leadership was established in 1995 in honor of Joanna Boatman, RN, former WSNA president and 2000 Hall of Fame inductee. Two nurses were recognized for this award in 2021.
Ingrid Anderson is a nurse at Overlake Medical Center in Bellevue. She has been a nurse for 14 years, specializing in emergency and psychiatric nursing. She is also a sexual assault nurse examiner. Ingrid has been a long-time advocate for her community, patients and workers’ rights. Ingrid has served as the vice chair of the WSNA Political Action Committee (WSNA-PAC) Board of Trustees. She currently serves as a local unit representative at Overlake and is a member of the Legislative and Health Policy Council. Ingrid has worked hard to create safer conditions for patients and health care workers alike by helping to secure passage of the Rest Break Bill in 2019 — as well as other legislation.
In the 2020 General Election, Ingrid ran for State Senate in the 5th Legislative District. Throughout her campaign, Ingrid used her voice as a nurse, working mom and community advocate to bring much-needed attention to health care issues that affect all Washingtonians — like mental health, equity and the impact of social determinants of health.
Ingrid is now completing her graduate degree to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She looks forward to serving her community and continuing to advocate as a nurse in the Washington State Legislature.
Anson Chamblin, MS, RN
Joanna Boatman Staff Nurse Leadership Award
Honoring significant contributions to the advancement of staff nurses at the state or local level or the improvement of the economic and general welfare of nurses in Washington state. This award for leadership was established in 1995 in honor of Joanna Boatman, RN, former WSNA president and 2000 Hall of Fame inductee. Two nurses were recognized for this award in 2021.
Anson Chamblin is a critical care float nurse at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Western Washington University and a master’s degree in environmental interpretation from the UW College of Forest Resources.
After teaching marine biology and working as a naturalist guide in the Galapagos Islands, Anson became an EMT for a local volunteer fire department and mountain rescue unit in Whatcom County. He quickly became a first aid instructor in places like oil refineries, logging camps and Air Force installations. Anson also worked for a private ambulance service and became a founding partner in Whatcom County’s Cascade Ambulance Service. This led to 25 years in health care management, where he trained more EMTs and managed a team of ICU and ED nurses for long-distance ground transport duties.
After earning a nursing degree from Skagit Valley College, Anson was hired into the float unit at PeaceHealth. He trained in additional hospital units, including the emergency department, cardiovascular unit, outpatient, PACU, imaging, cath lab recovery, endoscopy lab and stepdown ICU. He also helped develop a program in the imaging department to assess and care for at-risk patients undergoing imaging procedures, many of whom required sedation. He became an adjunct instructor in clinical education and a certified Crisis Prevention Institute and TeamSTEPPS instructor. He received full ICU training and became a relief STAT nurse. In 2017, Anson received the Excellence in Nursing Award for “Nurse as Collaborator” at PeaceHealth St. Joe’s. Anson has also been active on the nurse staffing committee at PeaceHealth for many years and served on a variety of practice and safety committees.
Anita Stull, BSN, RN
ANA Honorary Membership Pin
Honoring outstanding leadership, as well as participation in and contributions to WSNA and ANA.
Since 1979, Anita Stull has been an invaluable member of WSNA and has immensely contributed to the development of WSNA policy, nursing practice positions, and workforce and workplace policy throughout the years. She has provided leadership on the state and national level, serving in the Cabinets on Economic and General Welfare in WSNA and ANA. In her local unit, University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Anita served more than 30 years on the negotiating team, Joint/Labor Management Committee and Health and Safety Committee. She has also served as chair, secretary, treasurer and grievance officer in her local unit.
In addition to the leadership positions she has held, Anita regularly demonstrated effective leadership on the job as charge nurse of her unit at the UWMC — where she worked as a bedside nurse in Orthopedics, Chronic Pain and Psychiatry for 40 years before entering her retirement in July 2020.
Throughout her tenure at UWMC, Anita was a fierce advocate for mental health care access for patients, as well as nurses’ rights. She served as Local Unit Chair at UWMC during the 1989 union raids and was the first person to sign onto the precedent-setting grievance that resulted in UWMC nurses being paid for rest breaks. Anita also helped facilitate the smooth transition of nursing components during the 2019 merger of Northwest Hospital and UWMC.
Anita is chair of WSNA’s Bylaws/Resolutions Committee and is also a member of the ANA Committee on Bylaws. During times of organizational change within WSNA, Anita has been instrumental in helping the membership adopt new bylaws. Her leadership, attention to detail and due diligence in reviewing the WSNA Bylaws and proposing revisions where needed, have helped make WSNA what it is today.
David Reyes, DNP, MN/MPH, RN, PHNA-BC
Ethics and Human Rights Award
Recognizing excellence in ethics and human rights.
David Reyes is an associate professor in the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT). He holds adjunct faculty positions in the schools of Nursing and Public Health on the UW Seattle campus and has over 35 years of professional nursing and leadership experience in community and population health and education. David currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of health policy and health systems, as well as community, public and population health.
David is actively involved in addressing racial justice and social equity personally and professionally. His primary scholarship interests are in addressing the root causes of health inequity and disparities; building community leadership capacity to improve neighborhood livability; and population health outcomes using community-based participatory approaches focusing on equitable partnerships between communities and health systems. His work includes training and supporting community residents to facilitate and lead community assessment activities to identify neighborhood health priorities, as well as developing the ability of community residents to participate in community-based research to examine how to create a healthier and more secure food environment. David’s interests in community engagement and leadership extend beyond his academic practice and into his own community — where he is active in addressing food security as a founding member of the Rainier Beach Urban Farm & Wetlands in southeast Seattle.
David is currently a member of the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association and has held state- and national-level health policy, leadership and professional roles with the Washington State Public Health Association, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the Institute of Medicine’s Standing Committee on Family Planning. He has served as a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) National Advisory Committee for Academic Progression in Nursing and RWJF’s Public Health Nursing Workforce Advisory Committee. David is the primary author of WSNA’s position paper on public health and public health nursing. He received his Doctor of Nursing Practice (2013) and master’s degrees in nursing and public health (2002) from UW. He received his bachelor’s degree in nursing from Seattle University (1983) and is board certified in advanced public health nursing. David is a recipient of UW Tacoma’s 2020 Distinguished Community Engagement Award and the 2017 recipient of the WSNA Marguerite Cobb Public Health/Community Health Nurse Award.
Tatiana Sadak, PhD, PMHNP, RN, FAAN, FGSA
Nurse Educator Award
Recognizing excellence in nursing education.
Tatiana Sadak is an associate professor of geriatric mental health nursing, Director of Graduate Education, and director of the Dementia Palliative Education (DPEN) program at the UW School of Nursing. She is a Ph.D.-prepared certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner specializing in geriatric psychiatry and neurodegenerative disorders.
Tatiana’s research and scholarship focus on informing health care delivery for patients living with dementia and their care partners by generating evidence, creating measurement tools and developing interventions aimed to support clinicians and families working together to prevent avoidable health crises and enable care partners to manage the health of their care recipients — without sacrificing their health and wellness. This work has been recognized by Tatiana’s selection as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the Gerontological Society of America.
Molly Altman, PhD, CNM, MPH
Nurse Researcher Award
Recognizing excellence in nursing research that addresses practice issues.
Molly Altman is an assistant professor at the UW School of Nursing. She has been a certified nurse-midwife since 2005 and has clinically practiced across the United States and abroad in multiple contexts. In addition to co-leading the nurse-midwifery DNP program at UW, Molly leads a program of research focused on respectful care during pregnancy and birth for marginalized communities — specifically in partnership with racially and ethnically diverse communities and LGBTQ+ communities. Using community-based participatory methods, her work lifts community voices and perspectives to foster respect and decrease bias in health care interactions.
Chris Birchem, BSW, RN
Leadership and Management Award
Recognizing excellence in nursing leadership and management.
Chris is originally from South Dakota, where he attended the University of South Dakota and met his wife, Lisa. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work/child protective services in 1989. Chris and Lisa eventually relocated to Vancouver, Washington, in 1999 to follow Lisa’s career. In 2006, they moved to Issaquah, where they continue to live today.
Chris’ volunteer experiences include Child Protective Services and Head Start; he also served two terms on the Washington Center for Nursing Board of Directors (WSNA staff RN position). He and Lisa created a computer lab to train elderly residents of the Smith Tower in Vancouver by recycling old computer equipment donated by technology companies. This helped the residents stay in touch with their friends and loved ones.
Chris has served as local unit chair at Overlake Medical Center since 2014, after serving several years as local unit secretary/treasurer. He serves as a WSNA-PAC Board member, including serving one term as vice chair and two terms as chair. Chris’ other past experiences and positions include being a resident counselor for the Boys & Girls Home & Family Services in Sioux City, Iowa; a credit card dispute/arbitration representative for Citibank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; a production operator for Hewlett-Packard in Loveland, Colorado; and a human resource representative — followed by his career as a nurse since 2005.
Chris’ other activities include participating in Overlake’s past four negotiation cycles, in addition to his recent involvement in this year’s negotiations. He serves on various hospital committees, including the Conference Committee, Patient Experience Committee, and PPE Committee. His other roles include relief charge nurse and team preceptor/trainer. He developed the Hourly Patient Comfort Rounds Brochure for Overlake, which was branded for use. Chris was also awarded the Employee of the Month at Overlake in September 2015.
Chris continues and takes great pride in advocating on behalf of his patients and fellow colleagues, and continues to be actively involved in the retention, growth and development of the nursing profession.
Susan Worster, BSN, RN
Excellence in Practice Award
Recognizing excellence in practice in the direct care of patients or clients.
Susan is a certified wound, ostomy and continence nurse (WOCN) who has worked for Providence VNA Home Health for over 30 years. She has mentored countless nurses to achieve the wound therapy associate certificate, including some who went on to become WOCNs themselves. She does new employee orientation to train the new nurses to the agency’s wound protocols and the intricacies of the different types of wounds.
Susan heads the ostomy team of nurses and provides consultation to any nurse needing help managing ostomy and wound patients. She leads the agency’s efforts to prevent UTIs in patients with indwelling catheters. Susan impresses upon each nurse the importance of following evidence-based practices regarding wound products and insists that all patients have the appropriate testing before use of any compression stockings are used.
Susan grew up in a family of inquisitive teachers and engineers who instilled in her an insatiable curiosity. Her mother retained her nursing textbooks, even though she ultimately opted to go into teaching, and one of Susan’s favorite books growing up was “Diseases of the Skin.” As a BSN student, she fell in love with home care and community health during the semester she spent with Providence VNA Home Health. After graduation, she returned to PVNA and has been there ever since.
Susan said: “I have always described home health by quoting the famous phrase about Ginger Rogers, the dancer: She did everything Fred Astaire did — but backwards and in heels. That is home health. We see acutely ill human beings in the uncontrolled home setting, one-on-one with only the supplies on hand. … When we encounter patients, we meet them first as fellow human beings and next as nurses. It is that human connection and passion that carries us through the challenges and constant change we encounter in health care.”
Salal Credit Union
Community Partner Award
Recognizing a community and/or consumer partner who has significantly contributed to promoting health and a positive image of nurses through advocacy, safety and/or quality health care improvement.
Salal Credit Union has long supported nursing scholarships through the King County Nurses Association (KCNA), funding five full scholarships of $3,000 in 2021. Since 2016, Salal has also sponsored community grants and provided funding for continuing nursing education events that have focused on educating nurses in topics of current interest and social equity through KCNA.
In May 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging in Washington state, Salal contributed $15,000 to the Washington State Nurses Foundation’s Nurses Emergency Assistance Grant fund, allowing the foundation to distribute thirty $500 grants to nurses in need. The contribution was instrumental in WSNF launching the fund at a time when nurses were facing the extraordinary expenses of unpaid furloughs, were exhausting their paid time off to quarantine, and were facing the pressures of working through stay-at-home orders and a faltering economy. In June 2020, WSNF distributed the initial round of grants and has since distributed more than $76,000.