More than 50 BJC and WashU Nurses Named Excellence in Nursing Finalists 

For more than a decade, St. Louis Magazine has hosted its annual Excellence in Nursing Awards, spotlighting the remarkable efforts of nurses in a special print issue each year. Throughout the years, the magazine has recognized more than 500 outstanding nurses across a wide range of practice areas and levels of expertise, from emerging leaders to those with decades of experience.

This year, 51 nurses from across the East Region (BJC HealthCare), including eight hospitals and health service organizations, along with WashU Medicine, have been named finalists for the 2026 awards. A total of 60 nurses from across the region were selected as finalists. Nurses are honored for their selfless care, compassion, and dedication.  

Winners will be named at an awards ceremony June 4 and featured in the June/July issue of St. Louis Magazine. The annual awards program is presented by BJC HealthCare and Barnes-Jewish Goldfarb School of Nursing.  

See the full list of the 2026 finalists, and congratulations to the BJC and WashU Medicine finalists!

Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing:

• Abby Bisch*, Advanced Practice  
• Angela (Angie) Clark, Administration
• Heidi Holtz, Research  
• Sarah Oerther, Educator
• Madelyn Wilke, Advanced Practice  
• Lihua Yu, Educator  

BJC Corporate Health Services:

• Caitlynn Kramer, Emerging Leaders  

Barnes-Jewish Hospital:  

• Kimberly Danchus, Intensive Care
• Rosario Russell, Women’s Health  
• Natalee Skelton, Cardiovascular
• Tigre Wiley, Neurology/Psychology/Behavioral Health  

Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital:

• Courtney Leinberger, Emergency Department
• Barnes-Jewish West County Hospital:
• Jill Bryant, Medical-Surgical Nursing  

Memorial Hospital:  

• Shelby Fanshier, Community Care/Ambulatory Care
• Aimee Foehrkolb, Acute Care/Family Practice/General Medicine
• Joyce Muskopf, Emergency Department
• Abbagail (Abby) Olmstead, Emerging Leaders  
• Rinku Patel, Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Kristina (Kristi) Schmuck, Acute Care/Family Practice/General Medicine
• Alicia Stevens, Community Care/Ambulatory Care

Missouri Baptist Medical Center:

• Abigail Bettlach, Hospice/Home Health/Palliative Care
• Ashley Compton, Administration  
• Kassey Kenner, Emergency Department  
• Brittany Stone, Advanced Practice

Siteman Cancer Center/WashU Medicine:  

• Sanita Burgic, Oncology
• Mindy Harmon, Administration
• Heidi Hunsel, Advanced Practice  
• Jaime Woods, Research  

St. Louis Children’s Hospital:

• Emily Daut, Hospice/Home Health/Palliative Care
• Tracy DeBeir, Community Care/Ambulatory Care
• Ivy Hepler, Pediatrics: Neonatal
• Cara Lekar, Pediatrics: Neonatal
• Sarah Margherio, Administration  
• Caitlin Marion, Intensive Care
• Emily Morton, Pediatrics: Neonatal
• Kayla Parmentier, Intensive Care
• Ashley Wiedau, Pediatrics: Neonatal
• Cheryl Wuellner, Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal

WashU Medicine:

• Tonya Becker, Cardiovascular
• Abby Bisch*, Advanced Practice  
• Lisa Gabriele, Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Jenny Gores, Orthopedics
• Kimberly Hayes, Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal
• Sharon Heuerman, Research  
• Kathleen (Katie) Hickey, Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Jodi Holloway, Pediatrics: Non-Neonatal
• Jennifer Massoni, Advanced Practice
• Jennifer Myers, Oncology
• Sarah Smith, Women’s Health
• Mary Sullivan, Cardiovascular
• Anne Wagner, Neurology/Psychology/Behavioral Health  
• Betsy Webb, Orthopedics

*Represents both BJC and WashU Medicine