Georgia Nurses Foundation Announces Inaugural Inductees for the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™

December 20, 2021- The Georgia Nurses Foundation (GNF) has released the names of the inaugural class for the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™.

The 10 inductees are exemplary registered nurses who made or are making improvements to advance the nursing profession locally, nationally, and/or internationally.

“As GNF President, I am so happy to see the Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™ come to fruition,” stated GNF President Wanda Jones, BSN, RN, MSN, FNP-BC. “We have been planning this program for over two years to honor and showcase the many nursing legends in Georgia. Due to the pandemic, we decided to not hold the induction ceremony in 2020. We are so looking forward to finally seeing it become a reality in February 2022.”

The Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™ inaugural inductees are:

Candice Saunders, FACHE, RN	Lucy Marion, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP
Connie Buchanan, MS, NP-C, FNP	Lucy Rogers, CNHA, CSA, FACHCA, CHC, CCE, RN
Joyce Barlow, MBA, MHA, RN	Mary E. Walker, BSN, RN-BC
Joyce McMurrain, MSN, RN	Mary N. Long, RN
Tim Porter O’Grady, DM, EdD, ScD (h), APRN, FAAN, FACCWS	Lisa Eichelberger, PhD, RN

 

Tickets for the induction ceremony and sponsorship opportunities are available at Georgia Nursing Hall of Fame™ Inaugural Inductees Ceremony Tickets, Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite.

All attendees must be vaccinated. For those with a medical or religious exemption, a negative Covid test result within 72 hours of the event must be provided. Masks will be required at the event unless attendees are eating or drinking. Please bring proper documentation of a vaccine card or the negative test result as we will be verifying upon entrance.

Candice Saunders, FACHE, RN: Saunder is president and CEO of Wellstar Health Systems. She is currently the chair of the Georgia Hospital Association and was recently named Healthcare Champion by the National Association for Female Executives.

Lucy Marion, PhD, RN, FAAN, FAANP: Marion is a professor and dean emerita at Augusta University. Although now retired, she was dean of the College of Nursing for nearly 16 years.

Connie Buchanan, MS, NP-C, FNP: Buchanan is a nurse practitioner in Atlanta. 

Lucy Rogers, CNHA, CSA, FACHCA, CHC, CCE, RN: Rogers, who works for the nonprofit CHSGa, was recently honored by the Georgia Health Care Association for her “lifetime of dedication and passion for enhancing care” provided for Georgia’s senior citizens. “She is a one-of-a-kind leader who has laid the foundation for many of our quality initiatives that are in place today.”

Joyce Barlow, MBA, MHA, RN: Barlow is an administrator at Englewood Health Care in Albany. She was successful in explaining and delivering a message to legislators that resulted in community care providers receiving a rate payment increase.

Mary E. Walker, BSN, RN-BC: Walker’s LinkedIn page states that before she was an RN at Northside, she was an RN manager at AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Joyce McMurrain, MSN, RN: McMurrain is a nurse manager and coordinator of the Student Nurse Extern Program at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.

Mary N. Long, RN: A nurse, activist, lobbyist, administrator and pioneer, Long graduated from Grady Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing in 1963. In addition to her distinguished careers in health care and advocacy and to her political activity, Long has an extensive record of service to local, regional and national groups, including being the first Black president of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta and membership on the boards of numerous community organizations. Her peers in Georgia nursing honored Long’s accomplishments by naming a professional award after her. Georgia Nurses Association bestows the Georgia Nurses Foundation Mary N. Long Award for Innovations in Nursing Practice to “nursing pioneers who through their creative thoughts and actions, have made a difference for nurses and nursing in Georgia.”

Tim Porter-O’Grady, DM, EdD, ScD (h), APRN, FAAN, FACCWS: Porter-O’Grady has been involved in health care for 48 years and has held roles from staff nurse to senior executive in a variety of health care settings. He has published extensively in health care with more than 200 professional journal articles and 26 books, and is a nine-time winner of the AJN Healthcare Book of the Year Award.

Lisa Eichelberger, PhD, RN: Eichelberger is dean of the college of health and professor of nursing at Clayton State University. She oversees nursing, dental hygiene, health care management and health and fitness management educational programs at Clayton State, and teaches in the masters program within the School of Nursing.

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