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BCHS Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes and honors alumni for their distinguished personal and career achievements and for their exemplary contributions to society that bring credit to Baptist College of Health Sciences. The award is presented annually at the Alumni Reunion held the first week-end of June.
Whether you studied nursing, diagnostic medical sonography (ultrasound), medical radiography, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, respiratory care or healthcare management—at any of the Baptist Memorial Schools or the Baptist College of Health Sciences—if you are a Baptist alum, we encourage you to nominate an individual that you believe is truly worthy of this distinction. You will need to explain why you feel the person should be nominated and include information on his/her professional career, family, and community involvement. A detailed resume or biography must be included.
2012 Distinguished Alumni Award:
Jane Brasher McDaniel
Nursing class of 1955
Jane has an extraordinary career in nursing and since her retirement she has continued to work tirelessly for breast cancer awareness and prevention. Jane has become an advocate for early diagnosis in all women and organizes events to help fund initiatives for breast cancer.
Jane worked at St. Bernard’s Hospital in Jonesboro, Ark. which is also her hometown. Under her leadership there, St. Bernards implemented a Breast Cancer program in 1999. Through her personal passion and professional perseverance, St. Bernards successfully sought Komen Foundation grants to fund more awareness and early detection. Jane was awarded the Josetta Wilkins Award which is given to one individual per year whose work has helped to raise awareness and educate Arkansas women.
The award specifically named her efforts to acquire the first mobile mammography unit in the areas, and her successful professional education for physicians about the importance of recommending mammography to their patients. Her accomplishments and awards include a lengthy list focusing on faith, family, health and work. Jane has been married for 54 years to Garnet McDaniel and they have four children. Her family worships at Jonesboro Church of Christ where she has taught Bible classes for many years, volunteered with Vacation Bible School, worked with the local food bank program, a volunteer for marketing of church projects and has been on several medical mission trips.
2011 Distinguished Alumni Award:
Leilani Collins
Leilani Collins, left, was named the 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award. Beverly Jordan, chief nursing officer for Baptist Memorial Health Care, and a nursing graduate from the class of 1977, presented Leilani with the award. Leilani graduated in 1971 in Medical Technology.
Leilani had a note worthy career at Baptist Memorial Hospital from 1971 to 2001. During those 30 years of service, she was a bench technologist, lead technologist and then supervisor of the Hematology laboratory section of the Department of Pathology. Through her teaching in the BMH School of Medical Technology, she instructed hundreds of pathology residents, medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians.
She continues her education of laboratory science students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences as an Associate Professor. A life long learner, Leilani earned a Masters of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science with a focus on Laboratory Utilization in 2001 and is working towards her doctorate at the University of Memphis.
Professor Collins is quite active in the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS), national, state and local chapers and the American Society for Clinical Pathology where she has held both membership and leadership roles. Leilani has distinguished herself in the areas of research and scholarly activities. She authored the chapter on body fluids in the four editions of Rodak's Hematology: Clinical Principles and Applications. In addition, she has numerous lectureships, peer-reviewed journal articles, posters, and panel interviews. and many awards throughout the years.
2010 Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Tim Smith
Dr. Tim L. Smith, a 1987 graduate from the Baptist Memorial School of Nursing, is the dean of Nursing at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. Dr. Smith earned his B.S. in Nursing from the University of Memphis in 1989 and in 1992, he earned a diploma in Nurse Anesthesia from the Graduate School of Medicine at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 1994, and 1997, Dr. Smith earned M.S.N. and Ph.D. degrees with concentration in Nurse Anesthesia. Also, during this time he began additional studies at the Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary.
Previous recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award include:
2009: Beverly Dorsey Jordan, class of 1977
2008: Pamela Heffernan Redden, class of 1971
2007: Carolyn Cook, class of 1949
2006: Nancy Crawford Tucker, class of 1975
2005: Jackie Bridges, class of 1969, Nuclear Medicine; class of 1976 Radiologic Technology
2004: Dr. Betty Sue McGarvey, class of 1978, Nursing
2003: Anita Stephenson Vaughn, class of 1973, Nursing
2002: Mickey Badgett, class of 1953, Nursing
2001: Cindy Owen, class of 1979, Radiologic Technology
2000: Carla Sanderson, class of 1979, Nursing
1999: Denese Shumaker, class of 1960, Nursing