2026 McGovern, DAISY, and Legacy Award winners Four faculty members, one student honored at commencement
Four faculty members and one student were celebrated with special honors at the 2026 Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston commencement ceremony on May 13.
Slivinski, Dugger receive McGovern Awards
The John P. McGovern Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards are given each year to one graduate and one undergraduate faculty member selected by students. This year’s honorees are Peter Slivinski, DNP, CNRA, an assistant professor of nurse anesthesia, and Jennifer Dugger, MSN, RN, CHSE, CNE, an instructor in the Department of Undergraduate Studies.
Slivinski is a three-time winner of the McGovern award, having also received it in 2018 and 2023. He completed all of his nursing degrees at Cizik School of Nursing—from Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)—and has taught at his alma mater since 2016. He practices as a certified registered nurse anesthetist at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He honed his teaching skills as a seventh grade teacher before pursuing a career in nursing.
Dugger also worked in schools as a science teacher and, after earning her BSN from Cizik School of Nursing, as a campus nurse. She came back to earn her MSN in nursing education in 2020 and joined the faculty first as a clinical nurse educator in the Simulation and Clinical Performance Laboratory before being promoted to instructor. Dugger practices as a post-operative nurse in an orthopedic hospital and is currently working toward her PhD in Nursing. She had been previously nominated by students for the McGovern Award before receiving it this year.
Also nominated were graduate faculty members Bello Ololade, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, assistant professor and psychiatric/mental health nurse practitioner track coordinator; Kelly Kearney, DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC, associate professor; and Angela Nash, PhD, RN, CPNP-PC, PMHS, CARN-AP, FIAAN, associate professor.
Undergraduate nominees were Hildreth Eloi, DNP, MSN-Ed, RNC-MNN, assistant professor and senior-level coordinator for the Pacesetter Accelerated BSN program; Kelli Galle, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, instructor; and Linda Sheen, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, assistant professor and junior-level coordinator.
Alderman, Hart, receive DAISY Awards
The DAISY Awards is an international program recognizing nurses for excellence and compassion, based on nominations from patients and colleagues.
Receiving the 2026 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurse Educators was Susan Alderman, PhD, RN. Alderman has taught as an assistant professor in the Department of Graduate Studies since earning her PhD from Cizik School of Nursing in 2016 while also serving in various capacities at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, including clinical research director of the Institute for Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease.
Alderman received nominations from three DNP students, including one who wrote, “She has shown me that with the right support and a brave heart, no obstacle is too big…. Because of her, I no longer look for the ‘easy’ path; I look for the path that will make the biggest difference.”
Pacesetter Accelerated BSN graduate Mackenzie Hart received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Students. She graduated summa cum laude and was one of several graduates who received the School of Nursing Faculty Award of Excellence.
Slivinski, Kearney, Eloi, and Sheen were also nominated for the DAISY Award in addition to:
Department of Undergraduate Studies:
- Juane Alexander, MSN, RN, instructor
- Joyce Ju, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, CNE, assistant professor
- Vanessa Abacan, casual faculty
Department of Graduate Studies:
- Linda Cole, DNP, APRN, CCNS, CNE, FCNS, associate professor and co-director of the DNP program
- Marie McBee, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, assistant professor
- Sydnee Lucas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, assistant professor and family nurse practitioner track co-coordinator
- Carol Seamon, casual faculty
Nurse Anesthesia program:
- Achante Tamm, DNP, CRNA, CNE, assistant professor
Department of Research:
- Carina Katigbak, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAHA, associate professor
Student nominee:
- Ijezie Anozie, BSN student
Hanneman receives Legacy Award
For the first time this year, the Legacy Award was presented to Sandra K. Hanneman, PhD, RN, FAAN, who is retiring as the Jerold B. Katz Distinguished Professor for Nursing Research.
Hanneman joined the school 1996 as Associate Dean for Research. Her work in the field of critical care and mechanical ventilation included an NIH study of circadian rhythms in critically ill patients using adult pigs. She raised funds to build a lab for her work at Cizik School of Nursing.
After taking a step back from research, Hanneman became a student favorite, teaching pathophysiology in the Department of Undergraduate Studies. She was a perennial nominee for the McGovern Award and received it six times.
