Ten UCLA Health nurses are among 40 honored by the Simms/Mann Family Foundation in the third year of the Off the Chart: Rewarding Nursing Greatness campaign. The initiative recognizes extraordinary nurses from four Los Angeles-area health systems— UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai, City of Hope, and Keck Medicine of USC—each receiving an unrestricted gift of $10,000.
The recognition came during National Nurses Week, which this year celebrates "the Power of Nurses." "We are immensely proud of our UCLA Health nurses selected for this prestigious recognition," said Johnese Spisso, president of UCLA Health, who will deliver remarks at the May 28 celebration event. “As someone who spent years working as a critical care nurse, I know how important expertise, innovation, and compassionate care is to patients and families.”
The honorees were selected based on demonstrated "bias towards action, capacity for self-direction, originality and creative instincts, courageous and bold thinking, and the potential to achieve even more." UCLA Health's recipients represent diverse nursing specialties and have made significant contributions, including implementing evidence-driven research to reduce hospital-acquired infections, improving access to care for vulnerable populations, and developing innovative approaches to patient care.
"This recognition highlights the extraordinary talent and dedication of our nursing workforce," said Karen Grimley, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, chief nursing executive of UCLA Health and assistant dean of the UCLA School of Nursing. "The Simms/Mann Family Foundation's continued support allows us to celebrate nursing innovation and leadership while addressing the challenges facing our profession."
The Simms/Mann family and their foundation have supported clinical care at UCLA for more than 33 years. UCLA Health is home to the Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology, which provides holistic mind/body/spirit support for patients and families facing a cancer diagnosis.
Victoria Mann Simms, president of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation, emphasized the campaign's importance: "The Off the Chart campaign was designed to shine a light on and reward nurses for their leadership, ingenuity, and expertise. We appreciate UCLA Health's partnership in recognizing these exceptional nurses whose work embodies the critical role nursing plays in our healthcare system."
The 2025 UCLA Health recipients are:
- Laura Alfonso Guerra, MSN, RN, OCN Inpatient Oncology Nurse Navigator
- Clarissa Cabil, BSN, RN, CCRN-N, NTMNC Neonatal ICU Nurse
- Lindsay Calac, BSN, CCRN Lead Clinical Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
- Gema Covarrubias Garcia, RN, ADN Emergency Care Nurse
- Richie Dela Calzada, BSN, RN Adult and Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Nurse
- Luigi Esguerra, BSN, RN Clinical Nurse Manager, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, Boarding, Procedure & Treatment Unit and Transitional Recovery Unit
- Naomi Gedion, MBA, MSN, ACNP-BC Radiology Nurse Practitioner, Director of Multispecialty Outreach in Radiology
- Priscila Luc, MSN, RN, MEDSURG-BC Medical Surgical Nurse and Relief Charge Nurse
- Tina Mamais, MSN, GNP, BC-GCNS Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, Advanced Practice Supervisor
- Jeannie Meyer, APRN-CNS, MSN, CCRN, CCNS, PCCN, ACHPN, FCNS Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist
UCLA Health's 2025 Off the Chart honorees will be celebrated at an event on May 28. Their remarkable stories can be found at: http://offthechart.simmsmannfoundation.org.
