CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2025 AAOHN AWARDEES

Dr. Betty Sanisidro has made a lasting impact on the field of occupational health nursing over the past two decades, seamlessly blending clinical excellence with academic leadership. As Executive Director of the American Board of Occupational Health Nursing, she has led key initiatives to strengthen the certification process and elevate the profession.

A dedicated educator and advocate, Dr. Sanisidro has inspired countless nurses to pursue certification and grow in their careers. Her visionary leadership, deep expertise, and steadfast commitment to advancing occupational health nursing make her a distinguished recipient of the AAOHN Fellow designation.

Evin Parker is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner whose path to Occupational Health began unexpectedly after a career in emergency and pulmonary care. She currently supports the Tufts University community while also teaching first-year nursing students at Lawrence Memorial and Regis College. An active member of the AAOHN Practice Committee, Evin is known for her compassion, leadership, and—fun fact—her unmatched love of great food.

Lara Spalding brings over 25 years of experience in acute and onsite occupational healthcare to her role as Associate Vice President of Product for Occupational Health at Premise Health. Her passion for the field began during her time as an Army medic, where caring for fellow soldiers sparked a lifelong commitment to service.

She has led the development of education and mentoring programs, medical surveillance protocols, injury care procedures, and pandemic response strategies. A recognized subject matter expert, she provides clinical strategy and thought leadership across the industry.

Based in Fort Worth, TX, Lara is a proud mom to two busy daughters and continues to serve through the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), mentoring children who have lost a loved one in military service.

Marjorie Quiles-Borrero serves as an occupational health nurse consultant for the Department of Defense, where she brings exceptional leadership and technical expertise to the field of occupational and environmental health nursing. She plays a pivotal role in shaping clinical and administrative policy for the Defense Health Agency and provides expert guidance to clinicians and senior medical staff across military treatment facilities.

Her contributions span professional education, policy development, and clinic evaluation—always with a focus on advancing standards and improving outcomes. A dedicated educator, Ms. Quiles-Borrero has developed and delivered training for nurses new to occupational and environmental health, addressing critical knowledge gaps within the DoD. She also leads efforts to expand telehealth services and define the OEHN’s role within policy frameworks.

Her commitment to innovation, mentorship, and excellence continues to elevate the profession, making her a truly deserving AAOHN Fellow.

With over 18 years of experience in occupational health, Sue has been a driving force in advancing nursing practice and professional development across the field. She has led efforts to streamline clinical processes, develop comprehensive nurse training manuals, and implement policies that have become best practices in occupational health settings.

Sue also champions the next generation of OHNs through an individualized mentorship program and is a frequent presenter and trainer on topics such as stress first aid, high injection pressure injuries, and hearing conservation.

She currently serves as President of both the Florida Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare and the AAOHN Florida West Coast Chapter, demonstrating her continued commitment to leadership and the growth of the profession.

Dr. Yuan Zhang is a tenured Associate Professor in the Solomont School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she has dedicated her research to improving sleep and mental health among healthcare workers through evidence-based, workplace participatory interventions.

A pioneering nurse scientist, Dr. Zhang has contributed to the Total Worker Health® Center of Excellence—funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health—for the past 18 years. Her research has had national and international impact, with over 1,300 citations across 46 peer-reviewed publications and 70 presentations at major conferences.

In addition to her scholarly contributions, Dr. Zhang serves on the editorial board of Workplace Health & Safety, the official journal of AAOHN, helping shape the dialogue and direction of occupational health nursing.

Angela Christiano has been a steward of occupational health and safety throughout her career. In her most recent position at Shehadey Family Foods, she has spearheaded several initiatives including providing local farm boxes to employees to promote healthy eating of local, nutritious whole foods; implementing a monthly employee recognition program, and instituting a quarterly vitamin immune injection program to boost employee’s natural immunity. Angela continues to demonstrate that she prioritizes the health, wellness and safety of the occupational health nurses in her organization. She exemplifies the characteristics of an occupational health steward every day, utilizing her nursing skills to assist the company in acting fiscally responsible while caring for the health needs of employees, as evidenced by her training all company leadership in performing high-quality, life-saving CPR and AED, leading the company COVID-Prevention Program, and providing health and wellness education and nursing support to her team members.

Pivot Onsite Innovations is one of the nation’s largest and fastest growing occupational health, wellness, prevention and performance service providers. With a 100% client retention rate and 150 plus onsite occupational health clinics, the company recognizes the strength of having on-site nursing support for businesses of all sizes. To provide a safe and healthy workplace, the company is led by a team of nationally-recognized medical directors that collaborate with employers to implement and customize programs that reduce injury occurrence, transform safety cultures, and mitigate workers’ compensation costs, all to create a healthier, more productive workforce.

The South Carolina Association of Occupational Health Nurses prioritizes responding to member needs, providing evidence-based education to occupational health nurses in South Carolina and integrating community projects into each conference gathering to support the chapter mission to protect and care for workers.

To accomplish these objectives, the chapter hosted a one-day conference on Friday, April 26, 2024, in West Columbia, South Carolina, focused on two main presentations: Medical Management of Active Shooter and Hostile Events presented by Dominick Pagano, and Occupational Health Related to Biohazardous Agents and Animal Exposure presented by outgoing AAOHN president, Yolanda Lang. Over 95% of the conference attendees agreed or strongly agreed that the presentations met every objective.

During both their one-day fall conference, the chapter partnered with Martha’s Mission Cupboard, an emergency food bank providing food to an average of 300 to 350 families monthly, serving Carteret County in coastal North Carolina to collect and supply almost 500 items for contribution. Earlier in the year, during their three-day spring conference, the chapter collected cash donations to support disaster-relief efforts lead by the American Red Cross.

The North Carolina Association of Occupational Health Nurses hosted a multi-day conference from April 17-19, 2024, in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. The conference offered up to 12.0 contact hours approved by the North Carolina Nurses Association and was attended by more than 50 nurses. The chapter utilized a needs assessment to determine the topics of interest for the conference, which revealed there was a large increase of new occupational health nurses in the state chapter, whose interests aligned with educational offerings discussing worker’s compensation, return to work strategies, safety and injury prevention, and other topics. The conference evaluations showed that 100% of attendees self-reported an increase in current evidence-based occupational health nursing practice knowledge after attending the conference.