AWHONN provides qualified members with opportunities to enhance their initiatives, both academic and professional; in addition recognize the tremendous efforts nurses do within their professions and communities outlined by AWHONN’s mission.

Refer back to this page throughout the year as new and open opportunities are posted.

Awards

The AWHONN Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Award recognizes an AWHONN member who has exhibited strong leadership and commitment in advancing and advocating evidence-based protocols, research, or practices to combat maternal or newborn health outcome disparities to underserved or underrepresented populations in the US.

Thank you to Johnson’s and Aveeno Baby for supporting the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Leadership awards.

The 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award is presented to:
Rachelle Nurse, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC

Nominate a Nurse Today

AWHONN Awards of Excellence recognizes and honors nurses who make extraordinary contributions in promoting the health of women, newborns, and families at the local, state, national, and international levels.  

Leadership Award

Adriane Burgess, PhD, RNC-OB, CCE, C-ONQS, CPHQ

Education (Scholarly) Award

Carrie Eaton, PhD, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CHSE

Education (Clinical) Award

Patricia (Trish) Klassa, MSN, APRN, CNS-C, C-EFM, IBCLC

Nominate a Nurse Today

Each year, the editors of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing (JOGNN) and Nursing for Women’s Health (NWH), in concert with their Editorial Advisory Boards, elevate the outstanding scholarship of one paper from their respective journal’s previous year’s volume and acknowledge the contribution of the paper with either the Best of JOGNN award or the NWH Excellence in Writing award.

The 2023 Best of JOGNN Award goes to Christine Ou, RN, PhD, lead author of the article “Trajectories and Correlates of Anger During the Perinatal Period.” Dr. Ou and colleagues found that higher levels of anger were associated with worse mental health in pregnancy and after childbirth in their participants. These findings indicate that women should be made aware of anger as a possible mood disturbance, and researchers should investigate the consequences of anger during the perinatal period to improve outcomes for women an newborns.

The 2023 Nursing for Women’s Health Excellence in Writing Award goes to Laura E. Murphy, PhD, RNC-OB, lead author of the article “An Integrative Review of the Perinatal Experiences of Black Women.” Dr. Murphy and colleagues found that Black women continue to report negative pregnancy, birth, and postbirth experiences despite their desire for safe, respectful, and unbiased holistic care. The researchers advocate for nurses and other perinatal care providers to listen to, trust, and respect Black women.

2020 Awardees

The Novice Researcher Award is intended to assist new researchers in beginning areas of study, investigating clinical issues, or launching a pilot study.

Awardees

The Lifetime Achievement (formerly DPS) Award recognizes an AWHONN member who has made a significant contribution to the specialties of women’s health, obstetric and/or neonatal nursing. The recipient must be a registered nurse and a current member who has been a member for at least five years. The Award is the organization’s highest honor.

Thank you to Johnson’s and Aveeno Baby for supporting the Lifetime Achievement


The 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to:
Melanie Chichester, BSN, RNC-OB, CPLC, RNC-IAP

Learn More

Scholarships

Through the generous support of AWHONN’s charitable giving program, , AWHONN is offering 50  to members. Members experiencing financial hardship and members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by January 31, 2024 at 5 pm EST

Apply Today

AWHONN is offering two scholarships for registration to the Synova NICU Leadership Forum from March 19-23, 2023 at the Westin La Paloma, Tucson, AZ. Scholarships are for full AWHONN members in new leadership positions within the last two years including nurses who are educators, managers, directors, and administrators in NICU clinical settings. Attendance will help you gain confidence in your role as a new leader, develop skills to navigate difficult conversations, understand how cultures and demographics impact your work, and advance your emotional intelligence to foster development of your team.

Applications due January 20, 2023

Application Closed

EBP Immersion Scholarships Fall 2023 – Applications OPEN

Do you want to impact clinical practice in your facility? AWHONN is offering several opportunities for members to earn a scholarship to attend an evidence-based practice immersion program. These are great opportunities to engage with AWHONN staff and network with AWHONN members who are working on evidence-based practice projects. We are excited to partner with The University of Iowa for the Advanced Practice Institute: Promoting Adoption of Evidence-Based Practice immersion, The Ohio State University for the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare immersion, and The Johns Hopkins Center for Evidence-Based Practice. The cost of the education for accepted scholars will be funded through Every Woman Every Baby. For in-person attendance, a travel stipend will be awarded.

Deadline to apply: July 31, 2023
Decisions will be made by August 31, 2023

Apply Today

AWHONN’s Every Woman, Every Baby, AWHONN is thrilled to award four individual hospitals/facilities/institutions with its highly regarded program, Perinatal Orientation and Education Program.

With POEP, your hospital/facility/institution can establish consistent educational support for the provision of high-quality care for mothers and newborns. To learn more about POEP, please visit us at www.awhonn.org/POEP.

The application deadline has been extended to September 30, 2023, 12pm EST.

Apply Today

AWHONN’s Every Woman, Every Baby is thrilled to award four hospitals/facilities/institutions with its highly regarded program, Neonatal Orientation and Education Program, Fourth Edition (NOEP).

With NOEP, your facility can establish consistent provision of high-quality care for high-risk and vulnerable newborns. Learn more: www.awhonn.org/noep.

The application deadline has been extended to September 30, 2023, 12pm EST.

Apply Today

AWHONN and Kimberly Clark/Huggies® awards scholarships for millennial nurses to attend AWHONN’s Annual Virtual Convention. The recipents’ must have desire to expand their knowledge and  strengthen practice to improve their well being of mothers and their babies. The scholarship included one year of AWHONN membership, as well as registration to AWHONN’s Annual Convention. Applicants must submit a completed form, recommendation letter from their supervisor and submit video testimonial to be considered for this opportunity.

Scholarship Winners

2022-23 Scholarships for Evidence-Based Practice

2022-23 AWHONN EBP Scholarships

Do you want to impact clinical practice in your facility? AWHONN is offering several opportunities for members to earn a scholarship to attend an evidence-based practice immersion program. We are excited to partner with The University of Iowa for the Advanced Practice Institute: Promoting Adoption of Evidence-Based Practice immersion and The Ohio State University for the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare immersion. The cost of the education for accepted scholars will be funded through Every Woman, Every Baby. For in-person attendance, a travel stipend will be awarded.

The application deadline is October 17, 2022, at 5pm EST.

Learn More

Grants

AWHONN’s commitment to nursing research and scholarship is reflected in our 25-year history of funding nursing research and promoting evidence-based nursing care. Our program is designed primarily for researchers whose efforts are on the beginning developments of a program of research.

Awards are granted to researchers whose proposals investigate variables relevant to women’s health, obstetric, or neonatal nursing. Studies that are clinically focused and outcome based are a priority. Projects that focus on the nurse’s role in delivering cost-effective care in these sub specialties are encouraged and will also be considered.

Learn More

Other Programs