Temple Health’s acute and critical care nurses are standouts in their fields: consistently providing the highest level of patient care while leading and mentoring their colleagues and enhancing standards of practice.
In recognition of these achievements, contributions, and professional commitments, a Temple Health nurse has earned a Circle of Excellence Award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses for the last three years.
This prestigious honor recognizes up to 25 acute and critical care nurses annually for exceptional contributions to high-level, evidence-based, and transformative practice, often highlighting those who advance patient-driven excellence, reduce infection rates, and demonstrate leadership in the field.
“This is a national-level, extremely competitive award,” explains Trauma Clinical Nurse Specialist Richard Arbour, MSN, RN, CCRN, CNRN, CCNS, CCTC, CBRN, FAAN, FCCM, who nominated all three of Temple Health’s awardees. “When Temple nurses win three years in a row, that says excellent things about our quality of care. These nurses were honored because of their respective bodies of work and professional commitments. They lead by example, and they put their hearts and souls into their work.”
“This remarkable achievement—three consecutive years of national recognition—speaks volumes about the caliber, commitment, and compassion of Temple Health nurses,” says Chaudron Carter Short, PhD, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nurse Executive and Executive Vice President of Temple Health. “The Circle of Excellence Award is not only a reflection of individual excellence, but a testament to a culture that prioritizes evidence-based practice, continuous learning, and unwavering dedication to patient-centered care.”
“Cedonnie, Catelin, and Lynne each represent the very best of who we are as nursing community leaders, mentors, innovators, and advocates,” Carter Short continues. “Their work has not only improved clinical outcomes, but has also strengthened the environments in which our nurses practice and our patients heal. I am incredibly proud of their accomplishments and deeply grateful for the lasting impact they have made across our Health System. Their legacy challenges and inspires us all to lead with purpose, compassion, and excellence every day.”
2026 Winner: Cedonnie Curtis, CRNP-PMHNP, DNP
Curtis, who is now a Clinical Coordinator at Temple Women & Families Hospital, received the award for her work in her previous role as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the TUH-Main Campus Emergency Department, in which she “implemented transformative strategies to improve clinical outcomes and reduce care delivery barriers, most notably through her leadership of the facility-wide Sepsis Task Force,” which increased sepsis bundle compliance from 44% to 73%.
Arbour attributes Curtis’ successes to “her ability to personalize education, ensuring that each team member feels seen, heard, and valued—fostering deeper engagement and retention of critical skills. Her innovative approach centers around at-the-elbow education, where she delivers real-time teaching tailored to the clinical environment. By actively incorporating frontline staff feedback, she ensures that educational strategies are relevant, practical, and easily retained. Her presence and partnership at the point of care reinforce a culture of accountability, shared ownership, and continuous learning.”
“In fast-paced, high-acuity environments like TUH-Main Campus’ Emergency Department, compassionate leadership makes all the difference,” says Curtis, who joined Temple Health in 2020. “I don’t go into situations acting like, ‘I’m the boss, I’m the leader, I know everything.’ I’m very open to learning and doing the work, collaborating as a team, and partnering with other departments.”
She also emphasizes the importance of leading by example—not just through her at-the-elbow teaching approach, but also by encouraging nurses to pursue further education. “I always tell them, ‘You’re not going to stop there. You’re going to keep going. I see something in you. If I could do it, then you can do it,’” explains Curtis, who earned her BSN, her Master’s, her post-Master’s certificate, and her doctoral degree while working in the U.S. after receiving her initial nursing training in Jamaica.
Winning the Circle of Excellence Award “tells me that all my hard work has and is continuing to pay off,” she says. “It’s a big deal for me, my family, and everyone who believed in me—including Marva Forbes, the nurse who transitioned me into the critical care program. It’s also a reflection of my father, Recardo Curtis, who worked as a laborer in Jamaica, but who always understood the value of education and saw it as my path to success. I’m also so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had because of Temple, and by working as an educator, I feel like I’m giving back.”
2025 Winner: Lynne Marie Flynn, MSN, RN
While Flynn passed away in 2024, the transformative impact she had over her 16 years at Temple Health is still felt to this day. As a Clinical Nurse Education Specialist in TUH-Main Campus’ Emergency Department, Department of Neuroscience, and Surgical ICU, and as the leader of Temple Health’s American Heart Association Program, she was an enormously respected mentor, educator, and role model who set the standard for exceptional nursing.
“Lynne embodied the role of ‘servant leader’ for our frontline staff,” says Arbour. “As a Clinical Nurse Education Specialist across multiple units in a complex Health System, she educated, served, and engaged her teams in continual quality improvement. She was consistently effective in individualizing her approach to the needs of a group or situation: when working with new staff, she personally matched them with preceptors to ensure the orientees’ learning styles fit their preceptors’ teaching styles.”
“Lynne led by example,” Arbour continued. “By attaining multiple national certifications, she role-modeled professional development. She nurtured staff growth by being available for career coaching and providing stroke certification test review and creative review of the NIH Stroke Scale with Neuroscience and ED staff. She identified and encouraged unit champions for CAUTI prevention: a staff-focused approach that remains successful in the sustained reduction of CAUTI rates in our Surgical/Trauma units, and in indwelling urinary catheter utilization.”
Flynn also led a successful initiative to reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries, and “her real-time education during resuscitations and basic/advanced life support education resulted in sustained reductions in time(s) to first shock, first epinephrine administration, and increased utilization of the CPR Coach during resuscitation efforts,” says Arbour. “This came out of her role as the leader Temple Health’s American Heart Association Program—in which she did an outstanding job—and that legacy continues today through the essential work of our Clinical Rescue Team and CPR Coach.”
2024 Winner: Catelin Sayen, BSN, RN, CCRN, PCCN, NE-BC
Sayen, who is the Director of Nursing Services for TUH-Main Campus’ Medical Respiratory ICU (MRICU), is an “outstanding” example of exceptional leadership: ensuring high-acuity patients receive excellent care and giving her team members the support they need to advance clinically and in their professions. “She communicates effectively and genuinely, prioritizing best practice and patient outcomes,” Arbour says. “Through regular team huddles, at the elbow education, frequent rounding, and effective recruiting, Catelin has achieved and maintained effective staffing, preserving and nurturing healthy team dynamics, a positive work environment, and mutual support.”
With the premium she puts on mentoring, it’s no wonder that many of Sayen’s former team members have gone on to leadership roles in other departments. “Frank Evans, RN, BSN, who was my Associate Director, is now Director of Nursing for the Intermediate Care Unit,” Sayen says. “Michelle Hopwood, MSN, RN, who was also my Associate Director, is now the Nurse Manager for Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital’s ICU. Orion Garcia, BSN, RN, CRRN, was an RN in the MRICU with me, and now she’s Director of Nursing Services, Resuscitation, and ECMO. Hannah Porter, BSN, RN, who was my first hire when I joined Temple, is now the Nurse Manager of TUH-Jeanes Campus’ Critical Care Unit. I’m very people-focused: it’s all about hiring the right nurses, making sure everyone is really committed to teamwork, and developing their talents.”
Even if they aren’t aiming for management roles, Sayen is focused on empowering her team members to lead. “I ask them, ‘How about becoming Charge Nurse? Let’s get certified!’ We’ve really increased our certification rates on the unit,” she explains. “I have a rule that, when you start on our unit, you have to join a committee, you have to get certified, and eventually, you’ll precept or become a Charge Nurse. Engagement is huge for us, and everyone takes it very seriously: we have great staff meeting attendance and turnout for unit council.”
Sayen has also led numerous successful initiatives to enhance patient safety and care quality. “Her collaborative achieved a 74% reduction in hospital-acquired pressure injuries,” Arbour reports. She’s substantially lowered rates of falls, central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs); and collaborated with providers and frontline staff to “enhance and sustain practice improvements to insulin infusion protocols, consistently reducing bedside blood glucose monitoring delays.” Currently, she’s working with Temple Health’s Performance Improvement team to cut CT scan turnaround time.
These initiatives have a real impact on patient care and satisfaction—which is what Sayen values most. “My favorite part of my job is impacting patients,” she says. “I feel like I’m here to take care of my nurses so they can take exceptional care of our patients. There should be no barriers to providing the very best care, and I’m here to take down any barriers that exist. Our patients love our team, and I love that our patients are happy here.”