Girl Scouts honor Dr. Janice Nevin as 2016 Woman of Distinction
For her innovative leadership of Christiana Care Health System and her steadfast commitment to the health of Delawareans, President and CEO Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, was named the 2016 Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay.
The award, presented at a celebration at the Hotel du Pont on March 8, honors women who are prominent role models for Girl Scouts and have contributed significantly to the community.
Honorary co-chairs of the event were Doneene Keemer Damon, Esq., director at Richards, Layton & Finger and chair-elect of Christiana Care’s Board of Directors, and Kathleen Furey McDonough, partner at Potter Anderson Corroon and a Christiana Care trustee.
About 280 people, including Girl Scouts, Delaware leaders and colleagues, joined Dr. Nevin for the celebration. The event was officiated by Girl Scouts and included a proclamation from State Sen. Margaret Rose Henry, congratulations from U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and remarks from U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, who recognized Dr. Nevin for having “the heart of a servant.”
In accepting the award from the Girl Scouts, Dr. Nevin said, “The leaders I admire and whose path I follow — and the leaders you follow in this historic and honorable organization — are the servant leaders … It was the model my mentors followed, and, as you know from your own Girl Scout history, it was the model of your founder Juliette Gordon Low.
“If Ms. Low were here today, I would thank her for her commitment to girls’ health — incorporating sports and other physical activity and a focus on appreciating nature into Scouting was inspired and truly progressive. Today there are 3 million Girl Scouts in 92 countries living healthier lives and growing up to be strong, active women. That is music to this doctor’s ears.”
The event gave Girl Scouts the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion about careers in health care, academic paths and life balance with Dr. Nevin and other Christiana Care leaders: Donna James, director of Information Services; Sharon Kurfuerst, Ed.D., OTR/L, FACHE, senior vice president of Health Services Operations; Family Medicine Program Director Lisa Maxwell, M.D.; Sandra P. Medinilla, M.D., MPH, trauma surgeon and medical director of violence prevention; Clinical Specialist Dannette Mitchell, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN; and Jacqueline Ortiz, MPhil, director of Cultural Competence, Equity and Language Services.
Past Christiana Care-affiliated Girl Scout honorees include Trustee and past Board Chair Carol A. Ammon, named Woman of Distinction in 2007; Trustee and Pediatrician Patricia H. Purcell, M.D., named Woman of Distinction in 2003; and the late Katherine L. “Kitty” Esterly, M.D., chair of Pediatrics at Christiana Care from 1994 to 2007, honored posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
