The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Nursing will begin National Nurses Week May 6 by recognizing nurse heroes at NightinGala 2022. The event, which celebrates excellence in nursing, will be held at the Hilton-Memphis from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Although NightinGala is in its sixth year, this will be the first time in two years that the event will be held live, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nursing awards will include a Bedside Nurse Hero, an Advanced Practice Nurse Hero, and a Nurse Leader Hero. A nurse who has made significant contributions to the development and promotion of community health nursing also will be recognized with the Dr. John W. Runyan, Jr. Community Nursing Award. The awards portion of the program will begin at 7:15 p.m.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer NightinGala as a live event again this year,” said UTHSC College of Nursing Dean Wendy Likes, PhD, DNSc, APRN-BC, FAANP. “It is very important for the college to bring together the community to recognize the contributions of nursing and to honor those who truly go above and beyond. Nursing has been voted the most trusted profession in the U.S. for 20 years, and there is good reason for that.”
The NightinGala is held in conjunction with National Nurses Week, May 6-12, and a proclamation from Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris will declare that week Nurses Week in Shelby County. UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley, MD, will be in attendance with his wife Leonie Buckley. Community sponsors of the event include St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, Baptist Memorial Hospital, and Regional One Health.
The NightinGala will also include a presentation by comedian and author Diana Jordan, a silent auction, and musical entertainment by The Dentones, a band primarily made up of faculty from the UTHSC College of Dentistry.