The Rita D. Zielstorff Nursing Informatics Leadership Award

2015 Recipient

Denise Goldsmith MS MPH RN, FAAN CNIO Brigham and Women’s Hospital, was recognized as the winner of the 2015 Rita D. Zielstorff Nursing Informatics Leadership award at the 13th Annual Trends in Clinical Informatics Symposium on April 30.

Ms Goldsmith was awarded this honor based on her numerous leadership roles, contributions to advancing Health Information Technology (HIT), and research supporting its efficacy in nursing practice. She is recognized by her peers and mentees as an expert in nursing informatics who consistently provides critical insights and questions as well as timely expertise in designing and implementing technology to support patient safety and streamline practice. As a leader, it is her vision and her commitment to the future of nursing informatics that has driven this area of nursing to the respected and growing profession it is today.

In Ms. Goldsmith’s executive leadership role at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, her expertise and experience influenced the design and deployment of Health Information Technology (HIT) among nurses and nursing practice. During her Harvard Fellowship in Medical Informatics, her research demonstrated how HIT improved patient outcomes, specifically pain management and procedure preparation.

Her leadership in NENIC extends back to the Boston Area Nursing Informatics Consortium (BANIC). Ms Goldsmith’s remarkable leadership played a role in uniting BANIC and the Nursing Information Systems Council of New England (NISCNE) in February 2007 to become today’s thriving organization known as NENIC.  As a member of NENIC’s Board, she has played a significant role in advancing NENIC’S educational mission by securing key speakers, and acting as a strong advocate, recruiter, and supporter for NENIC.

On the national level, this individual currently serves on many nursing informatics boards and holds several academic appointments. To mention only a few, she is on the governing Board of Directors and Executive Steering Committee member for the National Alliance of Nursing Informatics and a member-at-large for AMIA’s Nursing Informatics Working Group. 

In addition, she has published over 14 peer-reviewed articles, 4 book chapters, and 24 abstracts in academic journals, and is a peer reviewer for AMIA and for the International Journal for Medical Informatics.