Advancing Stroke Care Through Nursing Excellence: The Impact of the Galloway Award

When nurses are given the opportunity to learn, lead and innovate, patients benefit. That belief is at the heart of the Betty and Gary Galloway Neuroscience Nursing Award, established through the Galloway family’s generous support of the Inspira Foundation. 

The Galloway Award funds access to national stroke conferences, ensuring the latest evidence-based practices are shared across Inspira’s emergency departments and stroke care teams. The award signals Inspira’s commitment to investing in nurses’ professional growth, reinforcing engagement, pride and long-term dedication to stroke care.

A vision rooted in education and mentorship

The Galloway Award was created to recognize nurses who demonstrate excellence in stroke care and a commitment to advancing practice. Nominees are identified by emergency department leadership and reviewed in collaboration with stroke and nursing leaders, with selection guided by the Stroke Council. This shared approach ensures the award honors nurses whose work directly strengthens evidence-based stroke care at the bedside.

“It gives them a voice. It gives them a chance to learn evidence-based practices and bring it back,” said Scott Burlingame, stroke program manager at Inspira Health. “The award gives them the opportunity to mentor new nurses as well as their coworkers and help implement those insights not only into daily care, but into policy change as well.”

Participation in national conferences gives nurses exposure to evolving guidelines, emerging technologies and best practices in stroke assessment, documentation and treatment—insights they bring back to their teams through education, mentoring and daily clinical care. “They’re taking that information, absorbing it and passing it on to the next generation,” said Misty Garrett, stroke coordinator at Inspira Health. Award recipients are encouraged to share what they learn, ensuring conference insights are translated into practice through education and collaboration.

2024 award winners: Turning knowledge into action

The inaugural 2024 award recipients, Danielle Opperman, R.N., M.S.N., and Jessica Pacitti, R.N., B.S.N., attended a national stroke conference and returned with practical tools that quickly influenced care delivery. 

Their learnings reinforced best practices related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stroke Scale, dysphagia screening, premorbid function documentation and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scoring—measures that support timely treatment decisions and high-quality stroke care.

A major outcome of the Galloway Award is the integration of new educational content into nurse onboarding and ongoing training. Also, award recipients naturally assume informal mentorship roles, helping colleagues strengthen assessment skills and documentation practices across shifts and departments. This shared learning helped support greater consistency across departments and locations.

2025 award winners: Continuing the momentum

The 2025 Galloway Award recipients, Jennifer Sarill and Skylar Wylie, represent the next generation of neuroscience nursing leadership at Inspira. Both were nominated by emergency department and stroke leaders in recognition of their clinical consistency, attention to detail and patient-centered approach to care.

Sarill, who will attend a national stroke conference in early 2026, shared that the award renewed her commitment to mentorship and lifelong learning, reinforcing her decision to pursue stroke care as a professional focus. “The Galloway Neuroscience Award has inspired me to keep advancing my skills, mentoring others and delivering the highest level of care,” said Sarill. “This award reminded me why I love what I do and pushed me to keep learning, leading and advocating for my patients.”

Wylie, the first recipient from Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, noted that the recognition has already sparked broader conversations about stroke care within her department, encouraging peer collaboration and new ideas for improving workflows and patient outcomes. “The Galloway Award has allowed for more open conversations about stroke care and what can be implemented in our department to better serve stroke patients,” said Wylie.

A lasting impact on patients and teams

Beyond individual recognition, the Galloway Award has created a ripple effect across Inspira. Nurses who attend conferences are encouraged to share resources, connect with national experts and bring back tools that can be adapted locally.

While rooted in stroke education, the award’s impact extends beyond stroke patients, strengthening assessment, communication and clinical confidence across emergency departments. Over time, this culture of learning supports safer care, stronger teamwork and more consistent patient experiences. 

Honoring generosity and investing in the future

The Betty and Gary Galloway Neuroscience Nursing Award stands as a powerful example of how philanthropy fuels progress. By investing in nursing education and leadership, the Galloway family’s generosity continues to shape the future of stroke care at Inspira—one nurse, one patient and one innovation at a time.