The Emergency Department has been faced with much adversity and change over the past year. Throughout all these challenges, Val has remained steadfast in her dedication and commitment to UPMC Mercy, the Emergency Department, her colleagues, and staff. A successful nurse leader must demonstrate an array of attributes and skills, but to simplify it, I believe that they must be a consistent, positive influence on those around them. Every day, Val is that positive influence who works tirelessly to make things better for our organization, our patients, and our staff. She does this in many ways, but her overall love of the nursing profession is what drives her to be a great leader. I am most impressed by how Val gives her time selflessly. Although her position requires her to be consistently available to manage departmental needs, Val goes above and beyond to support her staff. She will take calls in the middle of the night to help charge nurses solve staffing and other challenging departmental issues. She will not hesitate to pick up a weekend shift to reinforce staffing needs. If her staff has faced difficult events, she will show up on the unit unexpectedly during her time off just to provide support and encouragement.

Val strives to instill in her staff the importance of professional development and networking, which she demonstrates through her involvement in professional nursing organizations. She continues to promote learning and advance the nursing profession as a Certified Emergency Nurse. She is actively engaged in the local and state Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), where she served in numerous roles, including chapter and state president and, more recently, membership chair. She has represented the state of Pennsylvania numerous times as a General Assembly delegate at the ENA national conference, which helps to shape the practice of Emergency Nursing nationwide.

She exemplifies the core values of UPMC every day, and her dedication to her work is inspiring.